All Work And No Play
by Stephan Cardin
Summary: He's cold and uncaring. He appreciates nothing I do as if I don't exist. He's irritatingly stubborn, boorishly selfish and for some inane reason I can't stop thinking about him. But does he even notice me? Does he care like I do? Setoxoc Kaibaxoc Plz R
1. Prologue

Prologue

_My name is Kariana Ushimato; I am nineteen years old and just finished my last year of high school. It's been about a week now and it seems that all my friends know what they're doing with their lives. But I'm still stuck. I'm an average girl with average grades and no real talent. I wasn't the best in class, I wasn't the best in PE and I can't even play Duel Monsters; what my town is especially know for! But that's only the least of my problems; my parents just kicked me out of the house. They told me I should be able to take care of myself now, that I'm an __**adult**__. I've never even had a job! How can they expect me to survive like this?! Anyways, so now I'm staying with my friend Tea until I can get my own place. So the first thing on my list is to find a job! One that will work around my schedule-if I ever get one of those-, that doesn't require any real experience, and pays good…Man am I screwed. _

"So did you find anything, Kari?" Tae asked as she sat down at their booth in the café.

"No." Kari groaned, setting down the newspaper in her hands. "I just want to give up." She sighed.

"I don't want to sound rude, but I don't know how much longer you can stay at my place."

"I know, I know. You've stretched enough of your _parent's rules_ for me." Kari stated, "Of which, have I told you how much I really, really, really appreciate it? I mean I _really-_"

"Okay, okay." Tae laughed, putting up her hands, "I'm sure I can get my parents to let you stay for another week or two."

"Thank you so much Tea! I love you, really I do."

"Let's not go _that_ far."

"And why not?" Joey grinned, standing at the side of their booth.

"Oh, hi Joey." Tea said flatly, put off by his comment. Kari pulled the newspaper up to her face hoping Joey didn't already know who she was.

"Who's yer friend Tea?" he asked.

"Oh, um…" Tea didn't respond, knowing Kari didn't want him to know.

"You have a name doncha?" Joey asked Kari, pulling down on the newspaper. To Kari's dislike he got it away from her. He stared at her before busting a gut laughing. "I remember you!" Joey grinned, "You're the girl who-"

"Joey!" Tea scolded, looking at him harshly. Kari blushed, sinking down into the booth seat. Joey looked around, seeing all the people staring at them.

"Oh…oops." He took a seat next to Kari. "Sorry bout that. I'm not trying to embarrass you."

"Then don't say anything about _that_." Kari pleaded. The café was full of people who had graduated from their class and she did _not_ want any of them to know that she was the one who-

"Hi, Tea!" Yugi chirped as he and Tristen entered the café as well.

"Hi, Yugi!" she smiled back.

"What you guys up to?" Tristen asked, hands in his pockets.

"Trying to find Kari a job." Tea replied, jabbing her thumb in Kari's direction. Tristen and Yugi looked at her a while before realizing who she was.

"Hey, aren't you the girl who-" Tristen started to ask as Yugi blushed.

"I know, I know!" Kari groaned, praying for any kind of escape. There was a paused silence.

"Um, some people are interviewing for a job one block down from here." Yugi said, "I'm not sure what it's for but they say it pays well and you don't have to of had working experience."

'_You've got to be kidding me. No way that's for real.'_ Kari thought, _'But who am I to complain? An escape is an escape!'_ she stood up, pushing Joey out of the booth so she could get out. "Thanks, I think I'll go check it out." She said before running out. The group watched her leave then looked at Tea awkwardly.

"What? She's…desperate?" Tea stated, trying to make up an excuse for Kari's weirdness.

~*~

After Kari jogged a few strides away from the café she started to walk. _'Thank God,'_ she sighed, _'I'm still alive.'_ She looked up ahead and saw a sign that read _'interviews here'_ with an arrow pointing into a small shop. She would have to cross the street to get to it. She stopped and waited for the walk sign to turn on, surrounded by a few other people. She noticed a small boy about fourteen with long black hair and blue-grey eyes up in the front of the crowd. He looked a bit antsy but she didn't think much about it.

The traffic light turned red and the walk sign changed, saying it was safe. But in all reality it wasn't. Kari saw a red car speeding down the street with no sign of stopping. She looked ahead and saw the young boy step out into the street, unaware of the danger he was in.

"Look out!" Kari yelled as she pushed through the people after the boy. She caught him and they rolled to the side just as the car flew by. The driver never realized what had happened. She held the boy close to her body as she lay on her side in pain. She let out a wince as she sat up, letting him go.

"We need to move." The boy said, unsure of what else to say at that moment. He took Kari by the hand and helped her up and out of the street. He sat her on a nearby bench and looked at her sincerely.

"I'm sorry." He apologized as Kari look at her cut up arms. "It's my fault you got hurt!"

"Nah, it's not your fault." Kari reassured him, "That dumb driver didn't stop. You had the right of way." She smiled, easing his feeling of guilt. "I'm Kariana." She said, sticking out her hand.

"Mokuba." He said, shaking her hand.

"Well, Mokuba, where are you in such a hurry to?" she asked. Mokuba's eyes widened.

"Oh no! I'm late!" he grimaced, "I'm so sorry but my brother's waiting for me! Thank you so much Kariana!" he bowed before running off. Kari chuckled before standing up and making her way to the interviews with a slight limp.

'_Can't believe I'm still going after all that.'_ She thought, _'Interesting how no one else jumped out let alone see if I'm alright.'_ She rolled her eyes at them mentally. She got to the shop and stopped. It was a type of nick-knack shop and the lighting was a bit dark. She shrugged it off and entered, having no idea what was about to happen.


	2. A New Job

Stephan: Okay, so I've gotten e-mails from fanfiction telling me people have put me on their alert lists and stuff but no one has reviewed much (for both my stories) so I know you're out there! lol, I need someone to talk to!

A New Job

The bell on the door jingled as Kari stepped into the shop. She looked around and saw someone sleeping behind the counter and two guys dressed in fine tailored suits sitting with an empty chair in front of them. They wore black sunglasses and had earpieces hanging out of their right ear. They looked at her and stood up. She hesitantly walked over to them with her limp. One of them motioned for her to sit and she did. They too sat and there was a long silence as she looked around the shop, a bit creeped out.

"Name?" one of them asked out of nowhere, surprising her a bit.

"…Kariana Ushimato…" she answered skeptically.

"Alright, Miss Ushimato, we're going to ask you a few questions to see if you're qualified."

"Okay." She sat upright with her legs closed and her hands on her lap.

"How old are you and what is your education level?"

"18 and I finished high school this past year."

"Are you considering college?"

"Um…I don't know…not really…" she said honestly. He nodded, putting his hand up to his earpiece.

"What is you current living status?"

"I'm living with a friend right now but I need a job so I can-"

"Have you ever cared for someone?"

"What?" she choked.

"Have you ever taken care of someone, Miss Ushimato?"

"Oh…" she blushed, embarrassed, "I've babysat my cousins ever since I was thirteen. But what does that have to do with-"

"We'll be asking the questions Miss Ushimato." He interrupted and she locked her jaw tight. She was starting to freak out a bit. What was this even for? She was really beginning to wonder but didn't dare to try and ask. The guy put his hand to the earpiece again but held it there longer this time. Both men stood up causing Kari to flinch.

"We would like you to come with us Miss Ushimato." The guy said to her and she looked at the like they were crazy.

"To where?" she asked.

"We are not obligated to tell you." The other guy said.

"Then I'm not going with you." She scoffed. Both men looked at each other and nodded.

* * *

"Let go!" Kari yelled as the two men carried her out of the shop. She flailed her arms and legs but it was no use; they were much stronger than they looked. A black limo pulled up and one of the guys opened the door before the other tossed her rudely into it. She landed on the seat before falling onto the floor on her stomach. The door was slammed closed and the limo drove off. 

"She's on her way, sir." One of the guys said. There was a pause before he spoke again. "Yes sir. But she is a bit upset." Another pause, "Yes sir."

* * *

Kari pushed herself up with her arms, letting out a painful groan. "What the hell?" she mumbled, sitting back and looking around. Her eyes widen with horror. She crawled to one of the doors and tried to open it with no avail. "No, no, no, no, no!" She tried the other one and had the same outcome. 

'_I'm being kidnapped!'_ she thought, pushing on the window button but it refused to go down. _'I'm going to die!'_ she turned her head forward at the sound of laughter. A small window rolled down so she could see the driver.

"There's no reason to fret, Miss. You're going to be okay."

"_Okay?_ Are you crazy?! You're kidnapping me and you're telling me it's going to be okay?"

"Just calm down Miss, we're not going far. Besides, I do believe you got the job."

"What job?! I don't even know!" she exclaimed but he only laughed, rolling the window back up. "Hey! Don't do that! Let me out!"

* * *

Kari opened her eyes, sitting up from the seat, when she felt the limo come to a stop. _'Okay. When they open they door I'm going to jump at them and then run off! Yeah, that'll work…I think…'_ There was a soft click as the door opened. She was about to jump but at seeing who it was she ended up falling on her face. She raised herself up and stared with wide eyes. 

"Mokuba?!" she exclaimed.

"Hi Kariana." Mokuba smiled, holding the door open for her. "Come with me. My brother is waiting for us." Kari stepped out of the car and followed him up the path to the mansion.

"Wait, your…Huh?" she babbled, confused as to what was going on.

"You're going to be working for him now." Mokuba told her, a butler opening the front door. Mokuba folded his hands behind his back, going through the door with Kari in suet. She was going to say something in response but the extravagancy of the mansion had hypnotized her.

'_This place is __**huge**__!!'_ she thought, gaping around at the gothic style décor. It was only a matter of minutes before they happened upon a large study, Mokuba stopping at the entrance. Kari caught herself before she could run into the pre-teen boy. She looked over Mokuba's shoulder and saw a brunette guy. He looked very high maintenance, dressed in a fine navy blue suit and black tie with his hair combined neatly. He looked very cute and oddly _familiar_.

"Kariana, this is my brother Seto Kaiba." Mokuba said holding his arm out in gesture. Kari's eyes widened a bit but not for long. She suddenly remembered just who he was. She knew his name, heck everyone did, but his face…not so much. She wasn't one to watch TV or read the paper; as she saw it, if someone didn't care enough to know about your life then why bother with them? What would it matter if you knew every single song of some drugged-upped rockstar or the personal life of 'today's most popular idol'? They didn't care about you, so why care about them?

Kaiba looked up from his laptop, a pair of glasses perched on the tip of his nose. Kari, suddenly realizing she was out of view, stepped to the side and bowed. "It is nice to meet you, Mr.Kaiba." she wasn't a big fan of his but she was no ruffian either; she had manners.

"Have a seat Miss…?" he asked, motioning to the seat before his desk.

"Ushimato." She replied, walking in and taking the seat.

"Right." He said before typing something onto his laptop. Kari waited a few seconds before speaking again.

"So, um, why am I here?" she asked. Kaiba stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"Because I'm hiring you."

"For what?"

Kaiba sighed, taking off his glasses and setting them on his desk. "For my brother." He replied simply. She gave him a funny look before looking back at Mokuba, who only smiled. She turned back to Kaiba.

"But what-"

"I'm going to be working on something for the next few months and I need a personal care taker for him; someone to cook for him, clean, help him with homework. Those sort of things."

"Okay, so why not just have your cooks cook, your maids clean, and his teachers teach?"

Kaiba looked over at Mokuba, who blushed bashfully. He looked back at Kari, folding his hands. "Because my brother has decided to go to a public school, so we're moving somewhere more convenient. It will be a much smaller living space and I saw no point in hiring five people to do something one person can."

"Then why me? I'm no one special. I just got out of high school, I've never had a job-"

"I know." Kaiba interrupted, a bit irritated, "My brother insisted on picking someone himself. And you just so happened to be it; to my consent or not, it was our deal."

"So…that's it?"

"Yes. I will send you the paperwork and further information tomorrow. For now I will have someone take you home."

"So I need to give you my address-"

"I already have it." Kaiba responded, going back to his laptop. Kari stared at him awkwardly. Mokuba tapped her on the shoulder and nodded for her to leave. She stood up and bowed one more time.

"Thank you." She said before following Mokuba back out.

"You don't have to be alarmed. Seto can found out almost anything on anyone." Mokuba said, sounding a bit proud of the fact. Kari didn't think it was really something to be proud about but who was she to judge?

She arrived back at Tea's house thirty minutes later and was 'forced' to tell her everything. She didn't get past saying 'Kaiba' before Tea went on a rant about him. Kari knew the group wasn't fond of him but in her eyes she didn't have much choice. He was a rich guy offering her good pay for a simple task. At least she thought it might be simple.

'_Wait…how much is he paying me?'_ she thought as Tea finally started to wind down, _'Guess I'll find out tomorrow.'_ She shrugged mentally.

Tea sighed. "You hungry?" she asked, standing up from her bed.

"Starving." Kari grinned, leaning over the back of the chair she sat on. She had always had this habit of sitting in chairs backwards, something Tea's parents hated. But she didn't care and Tea didn't mind too much.

"One more week." Tea said, turning around from her doorway, "That's all my parents will allow, got it?" Kari nodded. "Good. Now get off your butt and let's go make something to eat. My parents won't be home till later and if you're _starving_ then you're going to help me cook."

Kari sighed but stood up. Whenever Tea said something like that it meant that _she_ would be doing all the cooking. _'Oh well,'_ she thought, _'I'll just make her do the dishes.'_ She grinned, following her friend out of the bedroom. She wasn't completely sure what she was getting into, working for Seto Kaiba that is, but there was no way she was going to turn an offer like that down; especially since she'd have to start looking for apartments like…_now_. That thought left a bad taste in her mouth. _'At least the job came easy.'_ She thought, trying to distract herself from the thought of apartment hunting. Tomorrow was the beginning of her future and she wasn't sure whether to be excited or afraid…


	3. The First Step

Stephan: Thank you Holly for your review! If anyone else is out there I will gladly accept your comments! 

Part 3: The First Step

"Kari, I'm leaving now! I'll see you when I get back from school!" Tea yelled as she opened the front door.

"Okay!" Kari yelled back from their room. She lay on the ground still wearing her pajamas of green and blue stripes reading a fairly large book. The day had started out just like any other day. She and Tea had gotten up, long after Tea's parents had left for work, and Kari had made breakfast for the two of them. Three days a week and every other Saturday Tea went to a dancing school somewhere downtown while Kari stayed at home and either cleaned, watched TV or found something semi-useful to do.

The first step out the door caused Tea to trip over something sitting on the porch. She yelped as she caught herself on the banister. Once she stood up and adjusted her jean skirt she picked up what had been the cause of her fall; a package. The weight surprised her at first; it was heavier than she had guessed, but she managed to keep it in her hands. She read the label; it was for Kariana. 

"Kari!" Tea set the package down on the dining room table. "There's something here for you, I'm leaving it on the table!" 

Kari looked up from her book in the other room and furrowed her eyebrows._'Something for me?'_ she thought, surprised. She bookmarked her page before closing her novel and standing up from the floor. She left the room and entered the living/dining room. She walked over to the table and looked quizzically at the package. She sat down in a chair and put her book aside. She ran her hand over the tan packaging as if trying to decide whether to open it or not. It was a good two inches thick. She took the red string holding it together between her fingers and pulled. The paper packaging unfolded, revealing the stack of papers before her. On top of them was a note. She took the note in her hands and unfolded it, reading it aloud. "_Miss Ushimato, enclosed here are the papers required to be filled out accurately and to date. You will have until exactly 0900 tomorrow morning to return these papers to my office at Kaiba Corporation. If you fail to meet these requirements I will have no other choice but to reconsider your assistance. Seto Kaiba._" She stared at the note a while longer before tossing it aside. "Guess I better get started then." She sighed, looking down at the first page. 

* * *

Tea opened the front door and stepped in, closing it behind her. She set her bag down and hung her keys on the rack next to the light switch. It was about five o'clock and Kari would usually be watching TV but instead she found her sitting at the table, one third of the way through a large stack of papers. "Kari?" she walked up to her friend. "What are you doing?"

"Ir erv ter firner dir-" Kari attempted to speak with a small rice cake in her mouth but Tea stopped her.

"Forget I asked." She told her as she went into the kitchen and bent over and started to rummage through the fridge, "So, what's for dinner?"

Kari gulped down her rice cake and looked over her shoulder at Tea. "Dinner?"

"What?" Tea leaned back up, hands on her hips, "You're not going to cook?" Kari pointed at her papers. 

"But…I…It…" she hung her head, "Okay." Defeated, Kari got up from her_working station_ and went to fix dinner. She wouldn't say it but she had been growing tired of eating rice cakes all day and all the paperwork was really starting to get on her nerves. Both girls worked on getting out the supplies they needed to make dinner and once everything was out took their positions. 

"Broccoli." Kari held out her hand, standing in front of the stove with a frying pan. Tea sat on the counter next to the stove and handed Kari a cup of chopped broccoli. 

"Broccoli." Tea repeated. Kari took the broccoli and put in into the pan. The broccoli sizzled at the heat, and she held her hand out again.

"Chicken."

"Chicken." Tea handed her the cup of chicken and Kari put it into the pan. It went like this until all the ingredients were mixed together in the pan and Kari put a lid on it, turning down the heat. She slid further down to the right where she was steaming rice. She lifted they lid and peered down into it. 

"Almost done." She closed the lid and leaned back against the counter. Tea looked over at her and eyed the green and blue pajamas Kari had been wearing all day. 

"So, what are those papers for?" Tea asked, keeping her place on the counter.

"My new job." Kari sighed.

"You have to fill all those out just to babysit?" Tea gaped.

"It's not babysitting." Kari insisted, "The kid's like thirteen years old."

"Oh? Then what would you call it?"

"_They_ would call it, _caretaking_." Kari stated, a bit proudly. Tea laughed. "What?"" Kari pouted, a bit offended. 

"Nothing, nothing." Tea chuckled, "…So this _job_ of yours, you've been filling out papers for it for seven hours?" Kari nodded. "Wow. I admire your determination. There's no way I would've done all that for just a baby…I mean, _caretaking_ job." Kari shrugged at the comment. "Are you sure he's not just testing you or something? I mean, it is Kaiba after all."

"Maybe…But I don't care."

"Why not?" Tea looked at her friend oddly. 

"Because of the pay." Kari smirked.

"The pay? How much is he paying you?" Tea asked. Kari walked over to Tea and up on her toes whispered it into her ear. Tea's eyes widened. "Are you joking?!" Kari shook her head, "But that's ridiculous."

"I know." Kari stood flat on her feet again. "I think it has something to do with Mokuba."

"Mokuba?"

Kari nodded. "I think he convinced Kaiba because of my living situation."

"I guess that makes sense." Tea said unsurely just before the rice steamer started beeping. Kari twirled around, turned it off and put the rice into a bowl she had set aside for the purpose. 

"You going to set the table?" Kari asked. Tea jumped down from the counter and gathered the things for the table.

"You know something Kari?" Tea said as she started to set the table, avoiding Kari's papers.

"What?" Kari took the lid off the stir fry and turned the burner off.

"I'm glad you found a job. Not in the sense that you'll be leaving, but that you've taken your first step on your own." 

Kari stopped what she was doing momentarily and smiled. "Thanks Tea." She then went back to the food.

* * *

The digital clock on the dinning room wall read 2:59 and Kariana still sat at the dining room table. There were only a few pages left but her energy was wasted. She leaned over her work, her head nodding from drowsiness. Her eyelids fluttered as she felt herself whisking away into sleep. "Can't…sleep…Must…" she let out a big yawn as her eyes narrowed into slits, "Finish." Her eyes closed shut and she was longer in reality but off into her own realm of dreams.

* * *

Kariana's face was planted into the papers, her mouth slightly open and her arms surrounding her head. There was a thump outside the front door as the newspaper was dropped off. Kari's head jerked up and she blinked her eyes sleepily. She sat up and stretched with a long yawn. "Hmm." She smiled for no reason other than from a peaceful rest. She looked up at the clock and the smile was gone, replaced with horror. "Oh shi-" she stumbled out of the chair and picked herself up form the floor. It was eight twenty-nine in the morning. She ran down the hall, stripping herself of her pajamas as she made her way into Tea and her room. Tea propped herself up on her arms and with her eyes half way open stared as her friend hurriedly tried to dress herself. 

"What's going on?" Tea asked sleepily.

"I'm going to be late!" Kari exclaimed, pulling up her jeans.

"Oh." Tea waited a second before falling back onto her pillow. Kariana pulled on a sleeveless collared black shirt over her head and snagged a silver buckled belt before bolting out of the room. She ran to her papers and shuffled them together, picking them up into her arms. She ran out of the house and almost forgot to close the door but went back for it. She ran down the street, the papers tucked under one arm as she tried to put on her belt. Almost dropping the papers, she left it unbuckled and stood on the sidewalk, waving an arm frantically until a cab stopped for her. She opened the door and slid in, almost closing it on her foot.

"Where to Miss?" the cab driver asked, a half smoked cigarette in his mouth. 

"The Kaiba Corporations building." She answered. He looked at her oddly through the mirror as she shuffled her papers around and he started to drive off. Kari set the last few papers out on her lap and dug through her pockets.

"Um, you wouldn't possibly have a pen would you?" she asked. The cab driver shuffled around for a second before handing a pen back to her. "Thanks." She took the pen and started to fill out the rest ferociously. She had barely finished when the cab stopped in front of Kaiba Corps. She put the papers together and opened the cab door. 

"Hey!" the cab driver yelled just as she closed the door and was about to run off. She looked back at him. "You have to pay!" he exclaimed.

"Oh." She dug into her pocket and chunked some cash in through the window. "Sorry!" she said as she ran off. The guy went through it; she had given him more but that didn't matter to her at the moment and she sure didn't mind.

She ran up the steps and when she reached the top she was stopped by two big guys in dark blue suits, almost exact copies of the two guys she had met in the store the previous day. "Excuse me." She said and attempted to go around them but they moved in front of her. She tried again in the opposite direction but failed again. Frustrated, she glared up at them "What are you doing?" she snapped.

"What are _you_ doing?" the taller one asked. 

"I'm here to see Kaiba." She shoved the papers in their faces, or at least as high as she could reach them. "I have to give these to him by _nine o'clock sharp_."

"I'm sorry but we can't let you do that." The shorter one said.

"What do you mean _you can't let me do that_?" she growled. He went to speak but instead held his hand up to the ear piece on his ear. With a _'yes sir'_ he opened the door for Kariana.

"Sorry about the misunderstanding Miss Ushimato. Mr.Kaiba is waiting for you on the last floor." Kariana walked past him without another word and ran to the elevator. 

"Come on, come on." She mumbled as she pushed the up button. "Yes." The elevator dinged as the doors opened and she rushed in. If there had been anyone inside she would've plowed them over for sure. She pushed the button to the last floor and the doors closed. She leaned against the railing, holding the papers to her chest. Her heart was racing and her adrenalin was going crazy. She let out a whimper.

_'I just want to get this over with.'_ She thought. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She stepped out and looked around until a lady at a desk called her name. She waved Kariana over and she came.

"You are Miss Ushimato, yes?" the lady asked.

"Um, yes, I-"

"Mr.Kaiba is waiting for you." She stated simply. She pushed down the button to her phone's speaker, "Mr.Kaiba, Miss Ushimato is here to see you." She said into it and there was a buzzer type noise in response. "The doors are open." She told Kariana. A bit hesitantly, Kariana walked to the doors and opened them, walking into Kaiba's office. 

"Have a seat." Kaiba said from behind his desk. The doors closed behind Kariana, causing her to jump a bit. She took the offered seat in front of his desk and crossed her ankles. "The papers."

"Oh, yes, um," she fumbled the massive load of papers and put them on his desk, "Here." She sat back into the seat as he took them and started to look over them. She sat quietly for a minute or two, shaking her leg. "You're not going to go through all of that now are you?" she asked. Kaiba looked up from the papers at her blankly. "I mean…I don't have a problem with…" she trailed off, eventually locking her jaw shut. He shuffled through the papers.

"You actually filled this all out?" he spoke, a hint of surprise in his voice, or at least she thought it was surprise. She nodded in response. Kaiba smirked.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, looking at the last page. He stopped for a second. "You forgot something here." He pointed at the bottom of the page.

"What? No way, I was sure I-" she leaned over his desk and looked down at the paper. Sure enough, there it was, a line unsigned. "Well…crap." Kaiba looked at her and glanced down.

"You might want to sit back down." He told her, causing her to look. Her face flushed red and she did as he said, extremely embarrassed. 

"I was going to be late; it didn't really cross my mind." She flustered, _'I can't believe I forgot to wear a bra!'_

"Yes well, just sign on the line and we'll be done for today." Kaiba slid her the paper along with a pen.

"R-right." She scooted forward, making sure not to lean this time, and signed the paper. She slid him back the paper. "So, that's it?" Kaiba nodded, putting the papers into one pile. "When do I start?"

"Mokuba starts at his new school Monday so then would be a good time." He took a sticky note and scribbled some things on it. "This is the address that we'll be staying at." He handed her the yellow piece of paper. "And the address of his school. He needs to be picked up no later than three o'clock and the apartment is within walking distance so there shouldn't be any problems. Any questions?"

"Um…Why not just have one of your limos pick him up?"

"Yet again, it was part our agreement. Now if you're done you can leave." He demanded more than suggested. She stood up and shoved the piece of paper into her back pocket.

"Thank you…Mr.Kaiba." she turned and walked to the door, opening it.

"Oh, and Miss Ushimato?" 

"Yes?" she turned back to look at him.

"Next time make sure you're fully dressed." He stated without looking up. Kari blushed again, "That includes your belt." He added. She looked down; she had left her belt unbuckled. She blushed even darker, buckling it before closing the door behind her as she walked out. She continued down the hall and into the elevator. She pushed the first floor button and sighed, leaning against the wall as the doors closed. 

_'It wasn't __**that**__ bad.'_ She thought, _'Who am I kidding? It was horrible. Can't believe I embarrassed myself like that. I'm such a klutz.'_ She sweat dropped. The elevator dinged and she stepped out, walking to the front doors of the building. She ignored the guards as she walked down the steps, the wind picking up. _'Think I'll go for a mocha.'_ She thought, starting down the sidewalk in hopes of finding a café with at least half way decent coffee. There was a low growl from her stomach and she chuckled bashfully as the people passed by. _'Maybe I'll get something to eat too.'_

* * *

Stephan: Well there it is, part 3. Whoo hoo! Lol, I can't wait until I get deeper into this fanfic, I have so much planned! I know it's only the beginning and beginnings aren't always juicy but I don't think they necessarily should be. So even though it's still a 'beginning' tell me what you think!


	4. A New Home

Stephan: This is going to be a relatively short chapter but I'll have the next one up sooner; I PROMISE!

* * *

Part 4: A New Home 

Kariana sat at a diner munching on a piece of toast as she poked through the apartment section of the newspaper. Even though Kaiba was going to pay her more than expected for the kind of job she was going to be doing her budget was still limited. She needed something close to _work_ and _cheap_. She had looked at the ad for the apartments the Kaiba brothers would be staying at but realized they were a bit out of her price range. Really, _well_ out of her price range. She would have to find something else. She set down her toast and picked up her cup of mocha, slowly sipping it. The paper had numerous amounts of _exed_ out circles where she had thought it might work but changed her mind. Her eyes locked on a certain article down in the far right corner, almost as if it were hidden.

_One bed, one bath, kitchen/dining/living, community pool and laundry mat. 15000 __yen per month._

((Stephan: 15000 yen is roughly about 150 American dollars))

"Just what I need." She said aloud, "And exactly where I need it." It was almost exactly between the school and the apartment they would be living at. "Hm," she pondered over it, "No way this is possible. It's too good to be true." She folded the paper and tucked it under arm as she stood up. She pulled some money out of her back pocket and counted it out before setting the right amount on the table. She downed the rest of her mocha and snagged the rest of her toast before leaving the café. With the toast in her mouth and paper under her arm she counted what little money she had left.

_'Just enough to get me to the apartment building. Not enough to get to Tea's though…Crap.'_ She thought. _'Oh well, guess I'll have to walk back later.'_ She shoved the money into her back pocket and waved for a cab. A minute or two later one stopped and she opened the door and got in.

"11th and Maple please." She told the driver and he only nodded before pulling out. A fifteen minute drive later she arrived at the street. She made sure to pay before getting out of the car and leaving. She stood outside the building as the cab drove off. "Well…it's not _too_ bad." She said to herself. It was a grey old building, with missing shingles and broken window or two. Swallowing her uncertainty, she walked down the path and entered the old building. There was dead, out of tune door bell sound as she walked in. Ahead of her was a desk with a rather old lady perched in a chair behind it. The inside was almost exactly like the outside; broken in random places but still intact.

The old lady looked up in glee, as if she hadn't seen someone in years. Maybe she hadn't? Kariana didn't want to know. "Come in, come in." She smiled through false teeth. Kariana walked up to the desk. "Are you here to see the rooms?" Kariana nodded. "God, good. I'll show you the way." She hopped out of her chair and came around the desk rather quickly to Kariana's surprise. "Follow me, follow me." She said, going down the hall to Kariana's left and she followed. "She's a bit old so there isn't an elevator but who needs those anyways." She waved with her hand as she led Kariana up the stairs. Kariana held onto the rail but discovering its unreliability let it go. It was dirty or nasty or anything, just rickety. After the second flight of stairs the lady led her down another hall. "It's just right here." She stopped at the second door on the left and pulled out a large ring of keys seemingly out of no where. She fingered through them until she found the right key and opened the door. "Don't be put off by the looks of this building, this floor was just remodeled." She reassured, actually relieving Kariana, not that she would admit that aloud. She walked in, holding the door open for Kariana as she walked in.

To her surprise it was pretty nice. An open dining/living room connected to a small open kitchen with light colored wooden flooring. She walked in further; there were two other doors on the right side of the wall. She went opened the first door, stepping into what was the bathroom. There was a tub with a shower head and plain white curtain, a sink with a mirror and medicine cabinet, a toilet and grey tiling. The color was bland but obviously redone. Left the bathroom and went to the next door, what she presumed to be the bedroom, and she was right. The carpet wasn't so new; a light tan color with some stains-specifically in the far left corner.

_'Tan's nice…unless…it's supposed to be white.'_ She shivered mentally and shook the thought away. There was a small closet that jutted out into the room a little and a window that overlooked the pool outside. "It's nice." She commented as she came out of the room back into the living/dining room.

"So you consider then?"

"Yes…I think I'll take it actually." Kariana smiled. They old lady's face lit up.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she waved Kariana over, "Come, come. Let's go fill out the forms." Kariana nodded and followed her out. She waited for her to lock the door and then followed her back through the stairs again.

For the next twenty minutes or so she sat with the lady, who's name was Mrs. Nakahara, and filled out the proper papers. It was decided Kariana would move in the upcoming Tuesday, when the water and gas in the room would be turned on. There were only ten occupied rooms including herself; six on the second floor and four on the third. The first floor consisted of the lobby, office, etc. Kariana waved goodbye as she exited the building. She figured it was around eleven o'clock by now and if she started walking she would be back around one twentyish. She sighed.

_'Better get going.'_ She thought and started to walk down the sidewalk.

It was night now and Kariana and Tea were in bed; Tea on the twin sized mattress and Kariana on the tatami mat on the floor. Kariana looked up at the ceiling thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days. Tomorrow was Sunday, she and Tea were going to hang out with Yugi and Joey down at the park. Mai, Tristen and Serenity were all working or had something to do so they couldn't come. But that was okay. Kariana knew all she had to do was tell Joey about her new job and everyone would know within a few hours. That is after he went on his rant of _how could you work for that asshole_ and _what were you thinking_. She also knew that Yugi would be completely okay about seeing that he was never one to judge. She liked that about him, it was a quality she adored the most about her friend. She sighed and rolled over on her side. She looked up at Tea's sleeping form; she was probably she quietest sleeper Kariana had ever met. She pressed her face into the soft fabric of her pillow and shut her eyes. She couldn't help but think of Kaiba. She tried to get him out of her mind and so replaced it with Mokuba. She couldn't help but already feel a sort of kinship with him. She didn't have any siblings and had always wanted a little brother or sister. This was going…to be…something…she would…enjoy…

And just like that she was asleep…

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Stephan: Okay, quick question: should I skip Sunday and go straight to Monday or write a chapter about Sunday? Please tell me or I won't know what to write! Thank you!


	5. The First Day

Stephan: Thank you arana for your review! I really appreciate your input! I hope this story will remain interesting to you and anyone else!

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Part 5: The First Day

Kariana stood outside of Mokuba's new school, leaning up against a tree with her hands out in front of her, resting on her thighs. When she first got up that morning she wasn't sure what exactly to wear but decided on something simple but not too _casual_. On bottom she wore grayish-black jeans with matching flat soled shoes that had a white paisley design on them. On top she had on a white camisole and a grey and blue striped button up shirt that covered her arms. She buttoned it most of the way but left it undone at the middle of her chest. She didn't really feel like doing anything with her hair and so left it down. The bell rung and Kariana's eyes searched through the crowd of kids as they rushed out.

"Kariana!" Mokuba waved as he ran up to her, smiling all the while trying to keep his backpack from falling off his shoulders. He came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"Hello Mokuba." She smiled, her eyes going over the black and white uniform he wore. "Well don't you look handsome?" She completed with a ruffle of his hair. Mokuba blushed, unaccustomed to such a compliment. Realizing this, Kariana started to walk, Mokuba following suet. "So tell me about your first day."

Mokuba shrugged, "It was fine."

"Just fine?" she raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh come one, Mokuba. We've got a long walk, surely you can tell me more than _just fine_?" Mokuba smiled unsurely. "What's wrong? You got a teacher you don't like? Bad cafeteria food?"

"I didn't eat lunch." He sighed. Kariana's face filled with surprise.

"Why not?"

"I didn't have anything on me."

"No food, no money?" she asked and received a no in head bobbing form. "Hm," she paused, "Okay, from now on every night I'm going to make you a lunch for school. Does that sound good?"

"Oh, you don't have to." Mokuba claimed.

"Well I want to and I'm going to. So you don't have a choice. You're going to eat my lunches, Mokuba Kaiba." She said in a false firm voice. Mokuba couldn't help but laugh.

_'She's strange but I like her.'_ He thought, smiling. "If I tell you about my first day will you play cards with me?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Sure." She smiled, "But you know, I would anyways." She said with a raised finger as if copying a politician. Mokuba laughed. "So then, tell me about this_ evil_ teacher of yours."

"But I never said anything about an evil teacher." Mokuba insisted with a funny look on his face.

"No matter. Tell me about him, I know he exists. He exists for everyone."

"Okay, okay." Mokuba grinned; he couldn't help but smile around her; just about everything she said made him laugh. "Well, _her_ name is Ms. Harijimo. She's my homeroom teacher and…"

Mokuba went on talking about the conundrums the other kids in his class did that caused his teacher to be so stern in the place. The kids were disobedient and threw things like paper balls or airplanes. He was in a class of delinquents but he would never tell his brother that. He was sure is Kaiba ever found out how chaotic his school was he would take him out in a heart beat.

It was about three quarters past three when Mokuba and Kariana reached the apartment complex the Kaiba brothers were staying at. The moment Mokuba led Kariana into the lobby she realized why they ran for the price they did. The luminescent glow that echoed off the floral painted walls seemed to follow them all the way to the elevator. The style of the building was very modern and _chic_. It had all the latest electronics, including a plasma TV in the lobby and a room of at least two rows of brand new computers. The pool and hot tub were indoor and exceptionally large. There was also a sauna available for residents. Before Kariana could look at everything, the doors to the elevator opened and they stepped inside. She looked at the buttons; there were six of them and Mokuba pressed the fourth floor button. The wallpaper was tan and the railing around the death trap box they stood in was a mellow gold. The elevator dinged, signaling they had reached the fourth floor.

"Seto won't be home until late tonight, I hope that's okay." Mokuba told her as he led her down the hallway that had the same luminescent walls as the lobby.

"Even if it wasn't its not really my place not complain." Kariana replied as they reached the fifth door on the right.

"What do you mean?" Mokuba asked as he dug into his bag until he found the card key to the door. He slid stuck it into the slot and when it lit green, pulled it out and turned the handle.

"Well, considering your brother is the one signing my paycheck I'm probably not going to complain." She explained as they entered the apartment. The size immediately blew Kariana away; so much so she could've sworn she didn't breathe for the first minute. It was like it would all just blow away if she took even one breath. Everything was so clean and shiny and **big**. It was at least three times as big as her apartment. "Wow…Just…wow." She walked in further, the door closing behind her, and gazed around. When they first walked in there was a small closet in front of them but once they took that right turn the living room was clearly in sight. The kitchen was off to the left and a hallway to the right. The furniture was already set in and situated; a large 'L' shaped black leather couch was centered in the middle with a brown coffee table in its center. There was one black recliner that obviously came as a set with the couch and it faced the North wall. On the East wall was a large plasma TV, quite similar to the one downstairs only with large speakers on each side and an entire system of DVD, surround-sound equipment, etc.

"My room is the first on the left, Seto's is the second left, his office is the third on the right, the laundry room is the second right and the bathroom is the first right." Mokuba explained as they peered down the hallway, pointing to each room's general direction when he listed it off. Kariana only nodded, not as interested as she was in the kitchen.

"Do you mind?" she asked, pointed at the kitchen.

"Go ahead. I'm going to go get some cards." He said as he started toward the hallway. Kariana nodded and headed into the kitchen.

_'It's glorious,'_ Kariana thought as she ogled over the fine blue and white tiling, the chrome sinks and black flat top stove. Oh how wonderful it all was to her. She went over to the fridge and opened it. To her horror it was empty. "You've got to be kidding me." She stood up, one hand on her hip and scratched her head with the other. "Hey Mokuba?" she called just as the pre-teen boy walked in with a wooden box.

"Yes?" he stopped right by the recliner and looked at her.

"Would you guys have any money anywhere? Your fridge is empty and I thought maybe we should go shopping later."

"I don't know. Seto hasn't really chosen a place yet, at least not that I know of."

_'Okay, Kaiba is officially insane. What does he expect us to eat?'_ She thought, "Alright, I guess I'll just order us some pizza or something later. That okay?"

Mokuba nodded. "That's fine with me." He went and sat down in front of the couch on the floor so he could reach the table. He placed the box on the table and opened it. "You mind playing now?"

"Sure," Kariana walked out of the kitchen and sat on the floor on the other side of the table, by the TV. "But do you have any homework?" Mokuba shook his head 'no'. "Then let's play."

Mokuba pulled out the cards and set them into piles. Kariana grimaced at seeing they were Duel Monster cards. Mokuba didn't notice, he was too busy putting them all into piles. "We'll pick a deck at random," Mokuba stated, "I have them each organized to their strengths. I'm still a beginner but Seto said I've gotten pretty good." He finally looked up and saw Kariana's uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, it's just…Well I've never actually played Duel Monsters before," she smiled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Oh," Mokuba pondered, understanding her feelings. "I can teach you if you want?" Kariana paused.

"You know what; I think that'd be great. I mean, all my friends play it, so why not?" she smiled, choosing a random deck. Mokuba returned the smile and choose a deck foe himself before putting up the others and setting the box aside. "Promise you'll go easy on me?" Kariana asked.

"We'll play a teaching game once or twice." Mokuba said as he handed her his cards, "Then you can play without my help." She took them and gave him hers.

"I'm not too sure that'll turn out good, but okay." She chuckled, shuffling his cards.

Thirty minutes later Kariana had a dumbfounded look on her face as Mokuba wiped away the last of her life points. "You weren't that bad." Mokuba insisted, gathering his deck and changing it out for another.

"Are you kidding? I suck." Kariana laughed.

"It was your first time." Mokuba said. He tried to convince her she wasn't bad just inexperienced.

"Okay, fine. One more teaching game?" she asked. Mokuba smiled.

"Sure. But let's change decks first." He took Kariana's deck and exchanged it for another random one. They shuffled each other's decks before taking their own and drawing five cards.

"You're proud of your brother aren't you?" Kariana said, placing down a card without looking up. Mokuba however looked up at her in curiosity.

"What do you mean?" he asked, setting down a card and then drawing one.

"Well you're always talking about him."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized, a little embarrassed.

"Don't apologize, Mokuba. Being proud of Kaiba…your brother…is nothing to be embarrassed about." She said as she set down a monster card in defense mode. "I'm sure he feels the same about you, he just doesn't show it."

"I guess." Mokuba played another face down card and a monster card in attack mode. Kariana looked at Mokuba, analyzing his sadness. "Um…are you going to go?"

Kariana smiled and stood up, "I'm going to order some pizza. Where's the phone?"

"Over on the counter." Mokuba replied, pointing to the kitchen. Kariana went to the phone and started to dial; she had the number memorized for the nights that neither she nor Tea felt like cooking. "Do you still want to play?"

"Of course! I'm having a lot of fun with you; I don't just want to stop." Kariana reassured as the phone rang on the other side.

_"Hello, Mario's Pizzeria, how may I help you?"_

"Hold on a second," she covered the mouth piece to speak to Mokuba, "What kind of pizza do you like?"

"Um…What kind is there?"

Kariana stared at Mokuba speechless, "You know what, I want you to try something I like. That okay?"

"Uh…yeah, that's fine." Mokuba replied. Kariana ordered and gave them the address before going back over and sitting with Mokuba.

"Have you ever had pizza before?" she asked.

"Once or twice I guess."

"Hm. That's too bad. Well, you'll have to try my favorite kind. I got a cheese pizza too in case you don't like it."

"How are you paying for it?"

"Out of my pocket." She smiled, picking up her cards.

"…I'll make sure my brother pays you back."

"Don't worry about it. This one's on me." She insisted, setting down a higher monster card than Mokuba's. "I think I'm going to attack you…Yes, I will." Mokuba flipped over a face down card- Fissure. "Oh that's not fair!" Kariana pouted jokingly, causing Mokuba to smile. "Ah ha!" she pointed at him. "I knew it was it there! You were hiding it from me weren't you? You know you can't hide that smile from me for too long." She grinned with a chuckle, Mokuba bursting into laughter. The rest of the game would go like that until the pizza came and Mokuba had to try her favorite pizza, which he was starting to worry about exactly what it could be.

Both pizza boxes sat on the table as the two of them perched on the couch. "It's not anchovies is it?" Mokuba grimaced.

"What? Eww, no! I absolutely loathe fish!" Kariana groaned, scrunching up her nose. She lifted the lid a half inch, "You ready?" with a nod she flipped open the lid, "Voila!" Mokuba stared at the pizza, actually surprised.

"Is that…ham…and pineapple?" Kariana nodded, Mokuba looked up at her oddly as she took a piece and bit into it. "Is it good?" Kariana nodded again. Hesitantly, Mokuba took out a piece and bit into it. He chewed slowly and to his astonishment it was fairly good.

"You like it?" Kariana asked. It was Mokuba's turn to nod. Kariana chuckled and ate with her new found friend until only half a box was left. The next two hours were filled with Duel Monsters and conversation. It was a nice change for Mokuba to finally be able to talk freely with someone. He hoped every day would be like this one.

It was a quarter past nine and Kariana and Mokuba were currently talking about the Kaiba Corporation. Kariana knew all the basic gossip; the creations and designs and of course the _infamous_ Seto Kaiba, a cold hearted uptight _must have everything my way_ type of guy. Comments like that made Mokuba laugh the most.

"He's not cold hearted, just…reserved." Mokuba explained, "He doesn't like people too much so he refuses to trust anyone. He only relies on himself." Kariana pondered over the comment.

"You know what? I think I envy him." A small smile appeared on her lips as she laid back against the couch, her hands behind her head. Mokuba looked at her with questioning eyes. "If there was one thing I could change about myself, I wish I could be more independent. I've always relied on other people for my well being and I'm tired of it." She sighed.

"Then change." Mokuba stated simply. Kariana paused.

"You know what, I will. From now on I'm not going to accept other people's help. I'm going to live one hundred percent on my own…Well…at least ninety." She chuckled. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the cable box and she sat forward. "I think it's time for you to get ready for bed." She stated.

"Ok." The blued boy stated as he stood up, surprising Kariana a little.

_'Interesting; most kids would've groaned about it.'_ She thought. "Don't worry about the mess, I'll clean it up. You just go and clean yourself."

"Okay." Mokuba walked out of the living room and down into the hall, opening the door on the first right and going in.

_'He's such an interesting kid,'_ Kariana thought as she gathered the pizza boxes and walked into the kitchen. _'My cousins are nothing like him. All they do is eat, sleep, fight and groan.'_ She laughed as memories played in her head. _'Mokuba is such a sweet boy. And he's so bright!'_ she jammed the empty pizza box down into the trash can until it fit and then went to the fridge, opening it and putting the left over pizza on the lower shelf. _'And Duel Monsters was pretty fun. Kaiba's lucky; I wish I had a brother like Mokuba.'_ She glanced down the hall at the sound of water turning on in the bathroom. She walked back out of the kitchen and went over to Mokuba's cards and began putting them back neatly into the wooden box. Her mind then traveled to what needed to be done next day. _'They really don't have much. I need to talk to Kaiba about grocery shopping. Mokuba said he'd be back late, but just how late?' _she wondered as she took the box and went down the hall and into Mokuba's room. It was pretty plan, but what would one expect when they had just moved in. The carpet was a pale grey and looked almost too soft to be carpet. The room itself was almost twice the size her new bedroom was. There was a fairly decent sized closet directly on her right and a dark colored wooden desk on her left. His bed, which was a full size and consisted of a cherry red bedspread, was in the far left corner, a small table next to it. On the right wall was a dresser that had a relatively medium sized TV perched on top. There weren't any windows in the room, just the same colored tan wall as the elevator. She set the box on his desk and left the room where she then resided herself on the living room couch, stretched out with one leg off and one arm hanging over the edge.

She closed her eyes and found that she was feeling sleepy. About five minutes later the water turned off but she made no movement, only listened. She could hear Mokuba's footsteps as he walked around before opening and closing the bathroom door then opening and closing the one to his bedroom. It wasn't long before his door opened and closed again, this time Kariana sat up, and he walked into the living room in his pajamas.

"Ready for bed?" Kariana yawned.

"I think _you_ are, Kariana." Mokuba smiled, sporting his blue with white seaming pajamas.

"Yeah, yeah," she waved off the comment, "You know, you can call me Kari if you want. That's what my friends call me."

"Okay." He paused, "Who are your friends?"

"Tea Gardner, Joey Wheeler, Yugi-"

"You're friends with them?" Mokuba sounded surprised.

"Yeah, why?" she asked with another yawn, she was really starting to get tired. Food always seemed to do that to her for some reason.

"Nothing really, it's just my brother knew them. I think they're nice but he doesn't really agree."

"They're great friends. Joey can be a little annoying sometimes but I know he's only looking out for me." She said, and the thought of yesterday popped into her head. "Your stalling isn't going to work though. So say good night to me and I'll see you tomorrow." Mokuba smiled bashfully.

"Okay. Good night, Kari."

"Good night Mokuba." She smiled, waiting for him to turn his back before splaying out on the couch again.

"Hey, Kari?" Mokuba called as he reached his door.

"Yeah?" she replied without opening her eyes, her hands simply behind her head.

"Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome." She smiled and his door closed. She glanced at the clock again before wandering into her own thoughts. It was nine thirty five. She rolled onto her left side, facing the back of the couch. She rested her head on her arm as she thought about the previous day with Tea, Yugi and Joey…

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up, Kari." Joey said with raised hands, "You're working for __**who**_

_"Seto Kaiba. I'm going to be taking care of his younger brother Mokuba." Kariana replied a bit sheepishly. _

_"I think it's a good idea. Kaiba's not that bad." Yugi said with a smile._

_"**Not that bad**__?" Joey repeated, "Are you really going to stand up for that guy after all he did?" Joey turned to Kariana and grabbed her by the shoulders before Yugi could respond. "Kari, you're one of my best friends. If I really can't convince you to not work for him them just promise me one thing. __**Be careful**__. You shouldn't trust him, Kari, he'll only wind up hurting you and then I'd have to go and kick his ass." Kariana couldn't help but snicker. "I'm serious, Kari."_

_"Okay, Joey. I promise I'll be careful. Now can you let go please? You're hurting my arms." Joey looked at his death grip and released her with a goofy smile, apologizing…_

The sound of the front door opening caused Kariana's eyes to flicker open. She stood up, almost falling onto the floor, and attempted to straighten her clothes. She took a breath, trying to keep her mind clear. She was a little nervous of talking to him about what needed to be done. She sort of felt like it almost wasn't her place to. _'No, no. Can't think that way.'_ She thought as the CEO walked in.

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Stephan: This is a long chapter so I hope you're happy! I really can't write any more right now because I have a lot to do to get ready for Thursday. You see, I'm going on a JROTC trip to New Mexico to participate in the Bataan Memorial Death March (26.2 miles in NM desert, through sandpits and up and then down a mountain). This is my third year to do it so at least I know what's ahead of me. But unfortunately I won't be able to update until Tuesday or Wednesday. I will be writing on the trip so I'll get at least one chapter if not more done! So until then go and tell people about my story; misery loves company after all! Thank you!!


	6. Puppy Chow

Stephan: Thank you guardian of vampires, "some girl", "person", naturally morbid, and Arana. I appreciate your reviews a lot! Oh, and thank you Arana for pointing out my mistake! If you go back and look I fixed it! I feel silly for making such a mistake so thank you for correcting me!

Also, I'm just going to skip the boring stuff of Kariana getting prepared and moving in and just give you guys 'after scenes' and such. Sound good? I hope so!

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Part 6: Puppy Chow

Kaiba gave no acknowledgment of Kariana's presence as he walked past her. This action surprised Kariana and she just stood there dumbfounded. By the time she had turned around he was already down the hall. He closed the door to his office as she opened her mouth. The sound caused her to flinch, her eyebrows crossing in confusion.

_'Did he have a bad day at work?'_ she thought as she hesitantly walked down the hall. She became nervous when she stood in front of his door. _'I don't want to upset him,'_ she rose a balled up hand and paused, _'But I need to talk to him.'_ Her knuckles came down on the wooden door emitting a hollow sound. For a while there was no reply.

"Come in." came Kaiba's cold voice on the other side of the door. Kariana put her hand on the knob, turned and opened the door, walking in. The room was small with burgundy carpet and tan wallpaper. Kaiba's desk was a dark cherry wood, centered in the far back straight ahead of her. There was a regular brown dresser, made to hold papers and folders of important matters, on the left side of the wall with a medium sized television on top of it. Kaiba looked up but said nothing, his papers and briefcase scattered out on his desk.

_'He's quick to work,'_ was Kariana's passing thought as the CEO finally spoke up.

"Yes?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Um…I'm sure you're aware, but there isn't any food in your fridge. If you want I could get groceries tomorrow…" she sounded rushed and breathed out a sigh of relief when she had finished. _'There, I said it.'_ She thought as Kaiba seemed to ponder over it.

"I'll send some more money with Mokuba tomorrow." He replied before going back to whatever it was he was doing. Kariana nodded.

"Thank you." she bowed her head before stepping out and closing the door to his office. She walked down the hall, putting her hand up to her mouth as she yawned. She turned to the clock and saw that it was two in the morning. She slumped her shoulders in agony, letting out a groan. _'I really don't wanna have to walk back Tea's is too far and I don't have enough money for a taxi.'_ She glanced back down the hall and bit her lower lip, _'No way.'_ She shook her head and walked to the front door, opening it. _'Maybe Mrs. Nakahara will let me sleep in the lobby…'_ she walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. And that was her decision. She would walk the few miles down and see if she could occupy the couch in the shabby lobby of what would be her new home. _'After all, I am moving in tomorrow.'_

* * *

There was a loud thud as Tea dropped Kariana's bags onto the wooden floor while Kariana held the door open for Joey and Tristin as they carried in a tatami mat Tea's parent were letting Kariana have. "Careful boys; this place was just redone."

"Well obviously. Everything else in this place looks like crap." Tristin said into the mattress as it pressed against his face, making it hard to understand him. Joey tried to reply but his response was utterly impossible to understand. Kariana only rolled her eyes at them as they got through the door. They both bent down to drop it but Kariana stopped them, sticking her hand out.

"This isn't the bedroom." Was all she had to say and they both stood but up with a groan. Tea chuckled, watching them hall the mat to the bedroom and dropping it in the center. They came back out stretching and groaning as Tea and Kariana laughed at their misery.

"I wouldn't be laughin' if I were you," Joey warned, "After all you promised you'd take us out for lunch."

"Yeah, and don't forget this glutton here has a big appetite." Tristin added, throwing his arm around Joey.

"Yeah, that's right- hey!" Joey barked, knocking Tristin off his shoulder once he realized what he had said, "Just what is that suppose ta mean?" Tristin only laughed as Joey continued shout at him, eventually starting a _friend brawl_. Tea shook her head; arms crossed as Kariana put her head on her forehead and sighed with a smile.

"You two boys are hopeless," she muttered, "But unfortunately lunch will have to wait until tomorrow." This caused Tristin and Joey to freeze; Joey trapped in a headlock and ready to bite Tristen's arm.

"What?" both boys said at the same time, pouting like little kids.

"I have to go set up a checking account and a few other things before I have to pick up Mokuba." Kariana informed them, trying her best to contain her laughter. Those two never failed to amuse her. She hadn't known Tristen for long but she thought he was a cool guy. She had seen him a lot at school with Tea, Joey and Yugi but for some reason never really talked to him. "I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you guys today. We'll hang out tomorrow for sure. Deal?" she raised her shoulders and pleaded for a yes with her eyes. The boys released each other, replying with a nod or 'yes'.

"I have school tomorrow so I'll catch up with you guys another day." Tea said as she made her way to the door, "That okay, Kari?" she asked. Kariana nodded, like she had a choice in the first place. She had always been the one to work around Tea's schedule. But maybe now that would change…

Kariana lurched forward as Joey slapped his hand down her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. "We'll see you tomorrow then, Kari." He grinned. Kari smiled back weakly as she rubbed her shoulder.

"Okay." She waved as Tristin and Joey left, going to catch up with Tea in hope to steal a ride. Kariana let out a breath as she put her hands on her hips and looked around at her apartment. "This isn't so bad." She said aloud, running her hand through her hair.

* * *

Kariana jogged up to the school steps in a hurry. School had been out for about ten minutes now- she was late. She saw Mokuba at the top with three boys around him. They were a little bigger than him and she wondered if they were in the same grade. Mokuba saw her coming up waved at the three boys before slipping away and going down halfway to meet Kariana.

"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm late." Kariana huffed, a little out of breath.

"That's okay. Don't worry about it." Mokuba urged her down the steps, helping her a bit. Kariana looked back at the trio of boys.

"They your new friends?" she asked. Mokuba nodded.

"They're from my class."

"I was wondering about that. They look a little bigger." Mokuba's head dropped a bit in response, Kariana held her hands up in apology, "No, no, no! I wasn't trying to insult you Mokuba. That's not what I-"

"It's okay." Mokuba smiled before realizing something. He dug around in his pockets and pulled out an envelope. "Here. This is from my brother." He held it out to Kariana and she took it, "Its money for grocery shopping, like you asked."

"Wow, he really remembered." She said, sounding surprised. Mokuba looked oddly at her.

"What do you mean? You asked him didn't you?"

Kariana looked down at him apologetically, "Yeah, I did. Sorry, I just thought that-"

"I know. Everyone thinks Seto is too busy or just doesn't care when they ask him about things. Sometimes he doesn't but he knows what's really important." Mokuba said; they were away from the school by now and heading in the direction of the apartment. Kariana nodded, understanding.

"Well, there's a store a few blocks before on the other side of the street so we'll stop there and get groceries." Mokuba nodded; they both seemed to be doing a lot of that today.

* * *

Mokuba and Kariana set down the last load of grocery bags on the floor in the kitchen. "Mokuba, will you go close the door please?" Kariana asked she pulled out the contents of one of the bags and began to fill the cupboards. Mokuba nodded and jogged to the front door and closed it before coming back.

"Can I help?" he asked.

"Sure." Kariana smiled, "If you're not sure where something goes just ask okay?"

"Okay." Mokuba beamed before copying Kariana's movements and taking out contents and putting them up. There were at least a dozen bags of groceries sitting on the kitchen floor. At the store they had filled the cart almost full of food and random spices and other things-paper towels, sponges, etc. Kaiba had given them more than enough to but the things they needed so Kariana was able to afford cab fair back to the apartment. They both were relieved they didn't have to find some other way to lug the stuff back by foot.

"Do you have any homework?" Kariana asked. Mokuba nodded.

"Just a little…We had a quiz today." He mentioned as they got down to the last few bags. "Where does this go?" he asked, holding up a package of sponges.

"Under the sink." Kariana replied, moving out of the way for him. "You guys just started school, what did she quiz you over?"

"It was a quiz to see how much we know." Mokuba paused as he put the sponges under the sink before standing back up and going to empty one of the last of the two bags while Kariana took the other. "We get the scores tomorrow and she's supposed to tell us where they think we should be and where we are in the school."

"How do you think you did?" Kariana asked as she put up a carton of eggs.

"Good…Is there something I can have right now?" he asked as he finished emptying the bag.

"You mean a snack?" Kariana asked, Mokuba nodded, "Sure. I'll fix you up something. You can go start your homework; I'll bring it to you."

"Thank you Kari." Mokuba said as he walked out of the kitchen, grabbing his backpack on his way down the hall. Kariana nodded, going around the kitchen and picking up the empty bags. She put them all into just one of the bags and then stuffed them into one of the bottom cabinets. _'Now what should I make him…'_ she pondered before opening an upper cabinet and pulling out miscellaneous bags of food and setting them on the counter. She crossed the kitchen and bent down to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a medium sized glass bowl and putting it on the counter…

Kariana knocked on Mokuba's door and opened it once she heard _'come in'_. "I brought you something." She smiled, setting a small bowl on his desk where he was finishing up his homework.

"Thank you." Mokuba smiled back and looked at the bowl. He made a funny face at Kariana's concoction. It looked like cereal covered in white powder and some sort of dark stuff. "What is it?" he asked.

"Puppy Chow," Kariana paused, "It's not really dog food." She chuckled when Mokuba looked up at her oddly, "Don't judge it until you've tried it. My mom use to make it for me all the time. It's good, I promise." Mokuba hesitantly put down his pencil and picked up a piece between his fingers. He put into his mouth and his blue eyes lit up. He took a few more and ate them.

"What's it made of?" he asked, making sure to swallow before he spoke.

"Chex cereal, chocolate, and powered sugar. You like it?" she asked, even though she could see the _'yes'_ in his eyes. Mokuba nodded, continuing to eat out of the bowl. "There's more in the fridge if you want it. I'm gonna go watch some TV."

"Ok." Mokuba managed to say between bites before Kariana left, closing his door behind her.

After Mokuba had finished his homework, which didn't take very long, he watched some TV with Kariana and they both snacked on the _'Puppy Chow'_. It was around six o'clock when Kariana picked up the bowl and went to put it back in the fridge. There was only a little bit left. Mokuba was a little disappointed as he watched her put it up. He really liked it a lot.

"Don't make that face," Kariana joked, closing the fridge after putting up the Puppy Chow. "We're going to be eating in an about an hour." She stated as she came back into the living and plopped down onto the couch. She picked up the remote from the table and clicked through the cannels. "What movie do you want to watch?"

"Doesn't matter." Mokuba shrugged.

"What?" she looked over at the raven haired boy, "You not use to having an option?" she chuckled. Mokuba said nothing. "Alright, alright. I'll choose." She said as she went through the TV guide until she found what she thought to be a good movie. "_Curse of the Golden Flower_." Kariana read aloud and then read Mokuba the summary. "Does that sound okay?"

"I guess so."

Kariana pouted, "You know what? My number one goal is going to be to help you become more opinionated from now on." She stated surely. Mokuba stared at her before chuckling.

"Okay, Kari." He smiled.

"So, do you want to watch it?" she asked again.

"Yes." Mokuba replied with a nod.

"Good. I thought that's what you would say." She grinned before starting the movie.

The movie was almost over when Kariana got up to start dinner. It took Mokuba a while to realize her departure seeing that he was so dissolved into the movie. "Kari? Where'd you go?" he asked, taking a glance around and going back to the TV. He did that a few times before she responded.

"I'm cooking dinner." She said as she came back up from ground, a frying pan in her hands.

"Are you not going to watch the end?" Mokuba asked, his eyes plastered to the screen. He never thought he could enjoy something on television so much. Most of what was on nowadays had given in to society's stereotypical celebrities, poor hero-action based screen writing and unrealistic science fiction- or _sci-fi_.

"I can see it from here." Kariana claimed as she dug through the fridge and pulled out various vegetables and some chicken. "Is stir fry okay?"

"Sure." Mokuba replied a few seconds after her question. Kariana smiled, shaking her head. She didn't think he'd like it so much. She had seen it before and loved it. Knowing Mokuba liked it kind of made her feel good. She glanced up as she chopped up the broccoli and put it into the hot pan, letting it sizzle at a lower temperature while she started to snap green beans and toss them in as well. She continued doing this until all the vegetables were cooking and she sliced the chicken into even strips. On the TV, prince Jai had just successfully killed himself before his father and mother, his blood spilling over the table and even landing in the cup his mother was about to be forced to drink out of. The concoction her husband had been poisoning her with for the past year(s) and she was well aware of. By the time the credits were rolling, Kariana was putting the food onto two plates.

"So what'd you think?" Kariana asked.

"I really liked it." Mokuba responded "I've never seen anything like that before. It's a lot different from what you usually see on TV." Kariana nodded in agreement and brought a plate of food over to him. Seeing as there was no dinning room, at least not set up, they would eat on the couch. "Thank you." Mokuba said as he took the plate.

"Your welcome." Kariana smiled, "I'm gonna go clean up first and then I'll join you." She told him as she went back into the kitchen and cleaned up the mess she had made. She washed the chopping board, pan and various utensils, putting them into the dishwasher. She then took up her plate and joined Mokuba on the couch. She picked up the remote again, her plate in her left hand, and crossed her legs.

"This is really good." Mokuba said after swallowing.

"Thanks." Kariana switched through channels and stopped at _Ninja Warrior_. "Hope you don't mind but I find this rather entertaining." She said before dropping the remote in her lap and taking a bite of her food. Mokuba shook his head and continued to eat.

"You should be a cook." Mokuba complemented as he took another bite.

"Oh no, I'm not that good." Kariana said, shaking her head. _'Even though I want to be…'_ she thought. Ever since Kariana was young she had always wanted to be a big time chef in a big time restaurant. But she never dared to say it to anyone, even when they complimented her on good her cooking was. They watched a few episodes of _Ninja Warrior_ and finished their dinner by the time it was nine twenty. Kariana stood up and stacked their plates.

"Well, it's about time you get ready for bed." She said as she walked into the kitchen and put their dishes in the sink. Mokuba let out a sigh but stood up anyways.

"Thank you for dinner, Kari." He said as he walked down into the hall.

"You welcome." She called back, washing the plates and silverware before putting them in the dishwasher. After that she opened one of the top cupboards and pulled put a brown sack…

Kariana knocked and opened the door to Mokuba's room. He had already taken his shower and was now getting in bed. "Hey, I made you a lunch for tomorrow." Kariana smiled, her body only half way in the room.

"Oh…you didn't have to Kari." Mokuba said, a bit surprised, "I don't want to burden you or-"

"Don't worry about." Kariana waved her hand, "I wanted to so I did. So you better eat it and like." She joked, pointed her finger at him.

"Okay." Mokuba smiled, "Good night Kari."

"Good night Mokuba." Kariana replied before closing his door.

It was late at night, around the same time last night, and Kaiba was tired as he returned home. It was no different from any other day, just the same old monotonous work. He unlocked and opened the door to the apartment and walked in. He made no notice to Kariana, just went on to his office like yesterday. Before he had opened his door he heard the front door open and close. She wouldn't bother him tonight. He opened his door and his eyes immediately caught the glimpse of something on his desk. He walked up to his desk and set his briefcase down on top of it, avoiding what was a saran wrapped glass bowl containing some sort of…_stuff_. There was a card, which was no more than a small piece of paper folded in half, on top of it. He picked up the card; his name was printed in bold with a black pen- **KAIBA**. He opened it and on the inside it read:

_I made this for Mokuba and thought you might like some, seeing how you'll be up for a few more hours. I hope you like it! -Kariana Ushimato_

There was a smiley face at the end, completing her note. Kaiba quirked a brow and went around his desk, sitting down and placing the card in a drawer. He opened his briefcase and pulled out papers and such. He continued to get out his laptop and set up for more work. He glanced over at the bowl but went back to his laptop, turning it on. The letters KC appeared in big letters on the screen as it loaded. His eyes went back to bowl and this time he brought it to rest in front of him on his desk. He hesitantly peeled back the saran wrap, as if something would jump out at him once he removed it. He grimaced a bit at the powdery feel but proceeded to put it in his mouth. _'Not bad.'_ He thought, surprised at the sugary taste and pushed it aside momentarily. He decided he just might eat some later…

* * *

Stephan: I hope you guys liked it! I'm sorry it took so long, but you know about school and stuff. Things get hectic (especially since the ACT coming- YUCK). Some tell me what you think and what I might possibly need to change. Thank you again for your previous reviews!


	7. Little White Lie

Stephan: Thanks for reviewing Arana, naturally morbid, and Jedi Master Alex Row! I really appreciate your enthusiasm! I'm really sorry for the LOOONG wait. I'm not going to give you guys any excuses, just my apologies. If there's any mistakes feel free to correct me, I don't have much time right now and will fix it later if anything is wrong. Thank you!

Please continue to R&R!

* * *

Part 7: Little White Lie

It had been a week and a half since Kariana's first day at work and Mokuba's first day at a new school. It had been a sunny Wednesday afternoon and the sky had started to turn black, the sun almost out of view. It wasn't time for the stars to come out yet but one could already tell that it would be a clear and beautiful night. Inside the Kaiba apartment, Mokuba and Kariana were sitting on the couch, finishing up the meal Kariana had prepared; a small but lovely lasagna with rosemary and topped with shredded mozzarella.

Mokuba had about two fairly large bites left and in his haste decided to make it into one. He had carefully scooped it under his fork and stuffed it into his mouth…At least that was what he was trying to do. The fork never reached his mouth and so neither did the lasagna. He let out a sort of low squeak as the meaty, cheesy substance landed on his white shirt. Kariana grimaced at the sight and set down her food while Mokuba sloppily pushed the pasta back onto his plate.

"Come with me." She took his plate off of his lap and set it next to hers on the table. Mokuba stood up, holding his shirt as to not let anything drip or fall onto the floor, and followed Kariana into the kitchen. He stopped behind her as she went to the sink. "Okay, off with it." Kariana stated, confusing Mokuba. He gave her a questioning look. "Your shirt, take it off. I need to get as much of that out right away." She said in a very sweet yet also oddly mother like tone.

"But-" Mokuba went no further when Kariana gave him the _you-better-do-what-I-say_ look. He sighed and pulled his shirt up and off his shoulders ((don't get any ideas you sickos…j/k, j/k)) and handed it to Kariana.

"Thank you." She said in her own _childish_ way, taking the shirt and setting it in the sink. She turned on the water and grabbed a sponge. Before starting on the shirt she took a wash cloth and dabbed it wet and turned to Mokuba. "Do you want to do it or should I?" she smirked, talking about the sauce that had seeped through his shirt and stuck to his stomach. Mokuba blushed and took the wet cloth. Kariana laughed; she loved to make him uncomfortable. She turned back around and took the shirt in her hands. She paused for a second and crossed her eyebrows. She thought she had seen something unusual about Mokuba for a second, but just shook her head and brushed it off, scrubbing at the stain. It didn't take Mokuba long to hand Kariana the cloth back.

"Thank you, Kari." He said as she took the cloth out of his hands, the water still running at a slow pace. "I'm gonna go get another shirt." He added, a light pink still in his cheeks.

"Alright." Kariana smiled and went back to his shirt, setting the cloth on the counter. She crossed her eyebrows again. She was _sure_ she had seen something that time. "Mokuba?" she asked, turning off the water and turning around, leaning on the counter.

"Yes, Kari?" he replied, only a little ways out of the kitchen. He turned the right side of his body towards her.

"Come here."

"But why-?" Mokuba started to question but Kariana held up her right hand and motioned for him to come. He hesitated. "I-I need to get another shirt." He stuttered. Kariana gave up and walked over to him.

"Let me see your arm." She demanded as Mokuba flinched back.

"But you can already see my arm."

"The other one, Mokuba." She said. She no longer had the _childish_ fun tone but returned to the odd mother like one, only not so sweet. With much hesitation Mokuba showed her his left arm. Kariana let out a short quiet gasp. There at the top of his shoulder was a bruise the size of a tennis ball. Part of it was a deep bluish purple and the other part of it was a light burgundy. He had been hit more than once. "Mokuba, what happened to you?" she said with much concern.

"Nothing, I just…I had an accident." He lied, turning his head away shamefully. Kariana held her hand to her mouth and pondered.

"Who did this to you?" she asked. No response. "How long has this been going on?" Yet again no response. "Mokuba, talk to me." She pleaded but he continued to look elsewhere. "Mokuba!" she took him by the chin and had his blue eyes meet her emerald green ones. Though the gloomy expression on his face only saddened her more. She was silent a while before speaking again. "Go get ready for bed." She said solemnly, "After you shower and dress I want to talk to you. Okay?" Mokuba nodded. She rubbed the top of his head before he turned and left. Kariana sighed and went back to the sink. She rested her elbows on the edge and let her hands dangle in the sink, where she had left the shirt and sponge.

_'How did he get hurt?'_ she thought, _'I know it was no accident…'_ she let out a groan, closing her eyes. She realized what it was. _'Poor Mokuba. And here he had me thinking they were his friends.'_ She took the shirt in her hands and wrung the water out of it. She set it out on the counter before leaving the kitchen and gathering their dinner plates. She sluggishly put them into the sink and turned the faucet on, letting the water run over them. She stood there a minute or two, zoned out, before snapping back to reality and scrubbed them clean before putting them into the dishwasher with the silverware. After that she waited on the couch.

Fifteen minutes later Mokuba came out dressed in black pajamas and his ebony hair shimmery wet. He took a seat on the couch next Kariana and kept his gaze forward.

"Please don't tell Seto!" Mokuba pleaded, breaking the long awkward silence. Kariana was taken back a bit but listened as the thirteen year old boy continued. "If my brother were to find out he'd make me go back to my teachers. And then I wouldn't get to see you anymore, Kari. I like going to a public school and I like hanging out with you. You're like family to me." He said in one seemingly rushed breath. "Please don't say anything to him." Mokuba bit his lower lip, clenching the cotton material of his pants, all the time never looking at her. Kariana sighed and watched him sympathetically. Without saying anything she reached out and pulled Mokuba into an embrace, causing him to let out a sound of surprise. His eyes widened at the sudden sign of affection he was so unaccustomed to.

"You don't have to worry Mokuba." She reassured him. "You're like a little brother to me. I don't want to lose you either. So just relax. I won't tell your brother anything. I promise." Mokuba did relax his shoulders, letting her hug him but did not return it. He only sat there, his chest rising and falling in deep breaths. Seto had given him hugs before but he couldn't recall a time where he held him like Kariana was right now. It was something Mokuba realized he had never missed until now. Kariana pulled him back and smiled, wiping a small tear from her face. She never would've admitted it but that was something she had missed too. It had been a while since either of her parents had shared that kind of affection with her. "It's getting late. You should get to bed." She told him. Mokuba nodded and stood up.

"I'm sorry about lying to you, Kari." Mokuba apologized.

"It's alright. I understand. I went through some of the same stuff when I was younger. But now it'll be our little white lie. Deal?"

"Deal." Mokuba agreed, though it seemed a bit awkward to him to agree on such a thing. But then again most things Kariana said or did were a bit awkward. "Good night."

"Good night, Mokuba." She smiled and the boy left for his room. After hearing the door close she laid back and yawned. She always got tired around this time. There were a few times she had stayed up until Kaiba got home but she now found it pointless since he just ignored her and went straight to his office to do some more work. "I bet he only gets two hours of sleep." She said to herself, "No wonder he always has his panties in a bunch." She chuckled and rolled over to where she faced the crevice of the couch.

* * *

It was Thursday afternoon and Kariana had arrived at the top of the steps of Mokuba's school early. There was no way she going to give anyone the chance of hurting Mokuba if she could help it. She looked down at her watch. "One minute left." She said aloud. She had already been there for fifteen minutes. She watched the seconds tick by until the bell finally rang and students came rushing out. She was almost bowled over a few times but managed to maintain her spot, letting out a few curses. A minute went by and then another and then another. There was no sign of Mokuba. Kariana grew worried. She fidgeted with her hands until the flow of kids ceased from the school doors. Finally she couldn't put up with it anymore and opened the doors. Her patience had withered and she was going in to find him. She had never been in this school before so the halls were unfamiliar to her. She tried to listen for any sounds of feet or talking but came up with nothing as she took seemingly wrong turns. She had walked around for five to ten minutes before she finally heard some talking and scuffling.

_"You dink yer so smart, doncha? Dat yer __**better**__ dan us? We're so sick of yer face!"_ Kariana heard the voice of a boy around the corner and then a slam against a locker. Her eyes widened in shock. _"Why doncha go back and cry do yer hot shot brodah?"_ another slam echoed down the hall. Kariana darted around the corner and stopped at the sight before her. The three boys she had seen Mokuba with so many times after school were there with him pinned against the lockers. Mokuba turned his head toward her as best as he could. Seeing this, all three boys looked as well. The one who had Mokuba pinned was tall and rather pudgy. He glared at her and sneered. "Who da hell are you?" he snarled, a speech impediment clear in his voice. His _t's_ sounded like _d's_ and his _ours_ sounded like _ers_.

"Mokuba…" Kariana said under her breath before glaring at the boys. "Let him go." She snapped.

"Were not going to listen to you!" one of the other boys said. Kariana opened her mouth to retaliate but the sound of footsteps coming silenced her.

_"Hey! Who's over there?!"_ came the voice of a male teacher.

All three boys froze, their eyes widening. The pudgy one released Mokuba, letting him fall to the ground. The boys bolted off down the hall as the footsteps got closer. Kariana walked over to Mokuba and kneeled down, checking to see if he was alright. "We're not done wit you yet, Kaiba." the fat boy hissed as he trailed behind the other two. Kariana glared at their backs before returning her attention to Mokuba as the teacher walked up to them.

"What are you doing?" he snarled, pushing up the square glasses resting on his nose. He was a tall and lanky guy with a long neck and a chin that jutted out past his Adam's apple. His hair was a dull black and was combed neatly to the side. Kariana helped Mokuba up from the ground and then bowed politely at the teacher.

"I'm sorry, my name is Kariana Ushimato, I was just here to pick up-"

"I don't _care_ why you're here Miss _Ushimato_," the teacher spat out her name and stepped toward Kariana. "All that matters is that it's after school hours and _you're not supposed to be here_. So get out!" he jutted his finger in the direction of an exit, his forehead scrunched up in a displeasing manner and his mouth turned down in an unsettling frown. Kariana, wide eyed and stunned, took Mokuba by the arm and walked quickly down the hall. Neither one looked back as they exited the school and made their way down the sidewalk. Both were speechless for a long time.

"…So…who_ was_ that?" Kariana asked Mokuba, putting her hands in the back of her jeans pockets.

"Mr. Jariko…he's science teacher…"

"Hmm…do you have him?" Kariana looked down at Mokuba and he shook his head. "That's good. If he was I'd be worried about you."

"Why?" Mokuba asked, crossing his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Usually when you piss off one of your teachers they treat you like crap even long after you're gone."

"Really?" Mokuba looked up at her. Kariana nodded.

"You still have a lot to learn, but I think you'll pick it up fairly quickly." Kariana smiled, "Just don't piss off any other teachers, okay?"

"Okay." Mokuba smiled.

* * *

Kariana groaned as the alarm went off on her clock. She rolled to the right on her tatami mat and buried her head with her pillow and pulled her blanket over her head. She squinted her eyes shut and tried to block it out but the incessant beeping some how made its way through her obstacles. She tossed the blanket off her body, revealing the silky blue tank and shorts she wore to bed, and rose up from her pillow. She looked over at her clock and stared at it with dead eyes. She reached over lazily and pushed to button on the clock. She sat there a moment as it was finally quiet. She smiled and fell back down on her pillow. At the sound of her phone ringing, Kariana gave up. She rose from her feet, leaving a messy bed behind her, and walked out of her bedroom into the kitchen/dining/living room. By the time she reached the counter the phone had rung six times.

"Hello?" Kariana answered, putting the cordless phone up to her face.

_"Kari? You awake? It's Tea."_

"Morning Tea." Kariana yawned, rubbing her eyes with her free hand.

_"…You know its eleven o'clock already…"_

"Really?" Kariana scratched her head, finally starting to fully wake up. "Sorry, I got home late again last night."

_"How surprising," _Tea said sarcastically, _"It's just like Kaiba to do that to you, or anyone in that matter…Anyways, Joey, Tristan and I were wondering if you'd want to hang out? We were thinking about stopping by and visiting Yugi at the shop and then getting something to eat. Wanna come?"_

"Sounds good, I'll be there." Kariana turned the speaker to the phone away and yawned rather largely.

_"Cool. I'll call Joey and Tristan and tell them you're coming. See you there."_

"See ya Tea." Kariana replied, waiting for the _click_ on the other line before hanging up. Kariana stretched her arms out in front of her, lacing her fingers as she did so. She let out a sigh as she finished her stretch and looked at the clock, "Eleven thirteen." She said aloud and started back to her room.

* * *

"You sure she's coming, Tea?" Tristan asked. Tristan, Joey and Tea stood around in the Kame game store, Yugi was in the back at the moment, waiting for Kariana.

"Yeah, I mean, she seems ta be really tired recently." Joey added, leaning against the glass counter.

"Joey!" Mr. Mutou scolded from the back. Joey lunged forward, eyes wide with a guilty look on his face; Solomon had to constantly scold Joey about leaning on the glass.

"Geez, how does he always know?" Joey muttered to himself. There was a small jingle as the door to the shop opened and Kariana walked in, dressed in a pair of light denim jeans, tennis shoes, a black square cut shirt and her trademark belt and buckle. Her hair was up in a high pony tail today, her bangs lying on the side of her face.

"What?" she huffed as all of them were staring at her. "I'm not _that_ late…I think." She said the last part quietly to herself.

"It doesn't matter." Tea said and turned around, "Hey, Yugi! Kari's here now!" A few moments later Yugi peeked out from the corner.

"Sorry guys, just give me a few more minutes-" Yugi tried to say when Mr. Mutou reached from behind him and dragged him back by the ear, a successful _ouch!_ escaping from Yugi's mouth. Tea and Kariana chuckled; it never ceased to amuse them when Solomon pushed Yugi around. As Yugi had said, it was a few minutes later when he came out, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Sorry about that, grandpa had a few things for me to finish first." Yugi said with a sheepish smile.

"Don't worry about Yugi," Joey said.

"Yeah, we don't mind waiting." Tristan added as they headed out the door.

"Oh really? Then how come all you guys looked at _me_ funny, huh?" Kariana asked. There was a paused silence before both Joey and Tristan responded at the same time.

"You're different."

"Thanks guys." Kariana said sarcastically, but knew they were just joking.

"So where do you guys wanna go?" Tea asked, sporting a jean miniskirt and pink tube top with matching heals and hoop earrings.

"There's a new deli a block down. We could try that." Yugi suggested.

"That sound alright to you guys?" Tea asked and once receiving each of their own _yes_ responses, agreed, "Then the deli it is."

* * *

"Oh meh GAWD!" Joey said with a mouth full of a meatball sandwich. "Iz zo goud!" His eyes shone with glee as he took another bite. Tristan matched Joey's pleasure as he dove into his own turkey and bacon sandwich. The rest of the group just stared oddly at them. No matter how long they had known them, Joey and Tristan would always be a bit weird.

"Wow…you two sure like your food." Tea sweat dropped, holding onto her smaller and less messy sandwich.

"So Kariana," Yugi spoke up, laying his sandwich down. Kariana looked over at him and replied _yes_ with her eyes. "How's your new job?"

"It's good." She paused, recalling the previous day and the encounter with the bullies and the crazy teacher, "There's just been a little trouble at Mokuba's school is al…" Tristan and Joey and stopped mid-way in eating and looked over at her, "Uh, it's nothing bad, I promise!" she insisted, "I was just going to pick him up yesterday and some teacher got all fussy about us being in the building after the bell rang." Seeming content with the answer, Joey and Tristan continued to eat.

"Is Mokuba alright?" Tea asked, seemingly concerned. She may not like Kaiba but there was a part of her that felt for Mokuba. It was like that for most of the group.

"Yeah, he's fine." Kariana reassured her, "I'm sure he was better today." She searched around for a clock, she had left her watch at home, and before Tea could ask anything else she stood up. It was almost one o'clock. "I don't mean to eat and run but it's a ways for me to walk and I need to get home before getting Mokuba." Tea and Yugi nodded.

"Are you free tomorrow?" Tea asked.

"I should be." Kariana replied as she wrapped her sandwich up in napkins.

"Then I'll call you if we decide to go somewhere."

"Alright." Kariana nodded, "See you later." She said to Yugi and Tea as Joey and Tristan managed to swallow down a huge bite, sauce covering the sides of Joey's mouth. "Bye Tristan, bye Joey."

"Bye." Tristan nodded.

"See ya later." Joey waved as Kariana waved and left the deli shop.

* * *

Kariana walked into her apartment and over to her fridge, where she put her sandwich next to what little food she kept on the shelves. As she walked out of the kitchen area she pressed the message button on her answering machine and walked into the bathroom, pulling down her hair and shaking it out as her message played.

_"Miss Ushimato, this is the principle from Sarayashiki Junior High. It is now two quarters past one and I am informing you that Mokuba Kaiba has been sent to my office and I need you to come down here as quickly as possible…"_ Kariana stared into the mirror as the female principle went on saying how she couldn't get through to Seto Kaiba and she, Kariana, was the only other listed contact.

"Crap." Kariana sighed, flicking off her bathroom light and pulling her hair back into a low pony tail. She didn't bother messing with the machine; she only grabbed her keys and ran out the door.

* * *

Stephan: Okay, so I really will try to update properly from now on. This chapter was actually one I was having trouble with but I got through it! Your encouragement and comments inspire me to write more and faster so please take the hint! Thank you for reading!


	8. Having Faith

Stephan: What a week this has been for me! Monday the pipes under our house busted and my family and I had to stay up REALLY late to get all the boxes out of the garage, Tuesday was the due date for my Junior Paper (But I turned it in Monday for extra credit), Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment to get my ankle X-rayed (it's sprained- poll vaulting accident), Thursday I went the French National Award Ceremony and didn't have a lot of time to do my make up work from Wed. afterwards (I got 3rd in Oklahoma for 1A division and 6th Nationally), and Friday was the JROTC Awards Banquet (I got Outstanding 3rd Year Cadet, I got it Sophomore year too, and The Award of Excellence medal) and then went to see IRON MAN with a group of JROTC people which 28 showed up…Anyways, I'll shut up now…

* * *

Part 8: Having Faith

There was a knock on the principle's door and the principle, an older woman in her forties with brown hair with a few gray strands pulled back in a bun and wore a dull gray suit, sat behind her desk. "Come in!" she said, and Kariana walked in, seemingly out of breath. "You are Miss Ushimato I presume?" she asked, without looking up from some papers on her desk. Kariana glanced over at Mokuba, who sat in a chair in front of the desk with his head down, before responding.

"I am."

"Good. Have a seat." The principle instructed and Kariana do so. "My name is Ms. Yamakoto; I am the principle for this school." She looked up from the papers and folded her hands on top of them as she eyed Kariana. "I called you here because of Mokuba. As you can see there was a bit of a sprawl today." Kariana was taken back by the comment and looked over at Mokuba. Sure enough there was a dark purple ring around his left eye. Mokuba kept his head down a bit, his eyes resembling that of a kicked dog. Kariana looked back to Ms. Yamakoto. "Our school has strict policies against these kinds of actions. We have zero tolerance for fighting."

"Obviously Mokuba wasn't the only one." Kariana jutted her thumb at Mokuba's direction, "His eye is proof enough; where are the boys that did that to him?" Ms. Yamakoto's eyes lowered to slits and her lips pulled down into a frown.

"_Unfortunately_ no one else was identified. There are no students that claim they know who else was involved and the teacher that showed up said they had run away by the time he got there."

"What about cameras? Shouldn't your school have cameras for these kinds of instances?" Kariana asked, her temper starting to build. Ms. Yamakoto's disposition hardened even more as Kariana spoke.

"At this time the punishment is three weeks detention or one week suspension. _You_ make the decision or _I will_." Ms. Yamakoto scowled, her thick brown eyebrows crossing in irritation. Just as Kariana was about to reply back the door to the office opened. All three of them looked up to see none other than Seto Kaiba at the door. Almost instantly, Ms. Yamakoto stood up. "Mr. Kaiba! I didn't think you'd be able to show up." Kaiba looked over at a surprised Kariana.

"Get out." He told her and she looked up at him with her eyebrows furrowed. Hesitantly, she stood up and walked past Kaiba and out the door. No sooner that when she exited was the door shut. She stood there baffled as Kaiba and Ms. Yamakoto began to talk.

"He…showed?" she said to herself, surprised at the fact that Kaiba had actually stopped his work to come. _'I guess…he really does care…"_ she thought.

"Right now Mokuba would either receive three weeks of detention or one week suspension," Ms. Yamakoto informed Kaiba, who had refused to sit down and instead stood. "_But_ we have a fundraiser going for our school and if you happened to donate I'm sure we could figure _something_ out." She said with a mischievous smirk. Kaiba looked down at her with distaste.

"I'll get back to you on that. Right now I'm going to take Mokuba home." He scoffed. He hadn't looked at his younger brother the entire time he had been there, and that only made Mokuba feel worse.

"Very well, I'll just give you my-"

"Don't bother. Let's go Mokuba." Kaiba said in his cold-as-ice tone, opening the door. Mokuba jumped up and followed his older brother out. Kariana had turned when the door opened but said nothing as Kaiba walked out. Like Mokuba, she followed him out the building. There was a limo out front and a few kids stood around, ogling at it. Once they noticed Kaiba coming their way, however, they dispersed frantically. Before the driver could get out Kaiba had already thrust the door open.

"Get in." he barked.

"Its okay Mokuba, I'll see you later." Kariana whispered to him, not realizing _later_ would be Monday, her next day of work. Mokuba nodded and got in the car. Kariana smiled and waved.

"You too." Kaiba snorted and Kariana looked up at him oddly. She waited a few seconds before joining Mokuba in the limo. Kaiba closed the door and opened the passenger seat door. Moments later the limo started and they headed back to the apartment.

* * *

After opening the door, Kaiba trudged in with Mokuba and Kariana behind him. Kariana stopped and closed the door as Mokuba followed Kaiba further into the apartment.

"Seto, I didn't-" Mokuba started to say but Kaiba stopped him.

"You're not going back."

"But Seto-"

"Don't argue with me Mokuba. I knew you couldn't handle this and you're not going back. That's my final decision." Kaiba walked down the hall, still never having looked at Mokuba. Kariana watched his back, her mouth gaped open. She looked over at Mokuba whose eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Mokuba…" she reached out but he pulled away. She retreated her hand, suddenly finding herself very angry; not at Mokuba but at Kaiba. She clenched and unclenched her hands, biting down on her lip as the door the Kaiba's office slammed shut. "That's it." She growled, storming down the hallway.

"Uh, Kariana, wait!" Mokuba pleaded but he was too late. The door to Kaiba's office was thrown open and a steaming Kariana walked in. Kaiba looked up slightly surprised but mainly pissed off.

"What do you think you're doing?" he scowled, sitting at his desk with his laptop open before him.

"We need to talk." Kariana scowled back as she closed the door.

Kaiba scoffed, "_We_ don't need to do _anything_. _You_ need to get out."

"I can't believe what you just did! And to your own brother!" she exclaimed, outstretching her arm toward the door for emphasis.

"I am doing what is best for him!" Kaiba yelled back. "You have no say in what I do. Now…get…out."

"No." Kariana scoffed, crossing her arms. "You need to understand that this isn't Mokuba's fault. The only reason he's hurt right now is because a couple of punks have been picking on him and you're not making it any better! How is he supposed to learn to deal with people if you don't let him? He needs this, Kaiba! He _wants_ this! No matter how hard it is. Don't you want him to be happy?" her voice softened as she spoke and by the time she said the last sentence her voice was more sad than angry. Kaiba was quiet as he stared at her, unmoved. What she did was something few people dared and those who did ended up being hated by him. After a long awkward silence, Kaiba sighed, putting his head in his right hand with his elbow on his desk.

"Just…go." He told her and added when she tried to speak, "I'll think about it." Feeling content and adrenaline driven, Kariana opened the door.

"Thank you and…I'm sorry." She bowed and quickly left, closing the door behind her. Her heart beat heavily in her chest and her green eyes were wide. _'Did I really just do that?'_ she thought to herself, _'Oh my God…I just yelled at Seto Kaiba…and I'm not dead!'_ she covered her mouth and stopped at the end of the hall and leaned against the wall. _'There's no way I can get away with that again…Did I really just get away with it? Ugh, I hope so.'_

"Kariana?" Mokuba called and she looked over as the black haired boy walked up to her.

"Mokuba…" she said quietly, her eyes going to his left eye."Come on; let's get something on that eye." She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, despite the seven inch difference, and led him into the kitchen.

* * *

It was around seven o'clock now and Kariana had finished making dinner. She knocked on Kaiba's door, a plate of spaghetti in her left hand. There was a mumbled response and she opened the door, taking it as _'come in'_. Kaiba was sitting at his desk, a pencil in his mouth and one placed behind his ear as well, as he typed furiously with papers strewn out all over his desk. She walked across the room where a TV sat on a table and set the plate down next to it. Neither of them looked at the other; Kaiba typed away and Kariana simply and quietly left the room.

"How do you like it?" Kariana asked Mokuba as she walked back into the living room.

"It's good." Mokuba said after swallowing a chunk of spaghetti. "Its different from what I've had at restaurants."

"That's because mine is a family recipe." She sat down on the couch next to him, picking up her plate with Dir en grey playing on the surround sound. "You know what makes its different?" she picked up her fork and stuck it into the spaghetti, twirling noodles on her fork.

"What?" Mokuba asked, preparing to take another bite.

"Restaurants make theirs for the money; I make mine," she pulled the fork up to her face, "For people." And wrapped her mouth around the fork of spaghetti.

* * *

"Good night, Mokuba." Kariana said as the boy came out of his bedroom, dressed for bed.

"You're leaving?" the small boy of five foot asked. Kariana nodded.

"I figured since Kai…your brother…was already here I could get home a little earlier than usual."

"Oh...okay then. Good night, Kari." Mokuba said, hiding his glum fairly well. Kariana thought for a second.

"How would like to go the park tomorrow?" she asked.

"Really?" Mokuba said excitedly but then realized something. "I don't think my brother would be okay with that…" he said, loosing his enthusiasm.

"Hmm…Well, we'll find out tomorrow then, won't we?" she said with a smile on her face.

"Yeah…I guess."

"You know your brother better than anybody Mokuba, but try to have some more faith in him, okay?" Mokuba nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night Mokuba."

"Good night Kari." Mokuba watched her put on her shoes before she opened the door and left. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in his brother, just that he still felt guilty for earlier. He didn't know what Kariana had said to Seto even more so if it had made a difference. If it had made a difference than maybe they could go to the park. If not…well, he'd be stuck in the house all day.

* * *

The phone in Kariana's apartment rang and by the second ring Kariana had picked up her phone. "Hello?" she answered, wearing a pair of grey sweat pants and tank top. "Joey? Hi! How are you? ...That's good…Uh huh…yeah…sure…I was already planning on it…Yeah, one o'clock sounds good. Alright, see you there. Bye." She hung up the phone and stretched her arms above her head. She yawned, glancing at the clock as she walked to her bathroom. _'Ten o'clock, I'm amazed Joey was even up.'_ She chuckled inwardly as she closed the door and then turned on the shower. She took the ends of her shirt in her hands and pulled it up over her shoulders, tossing it aside on the floor. Next she disrobed herself of her sweat pants and under garments as steam filled the bathroom. She stepped carefully into the shower and pulled back the curtain.

* * *

Mokuba looked up from the couch at the sound of a click from the front door. He set down the bowl of cereal that was in his lap on the coffee table and stood up as Kariana came in through the door. "Good morning Kari!" he smiled as she closed the door and took off her shoes.

"Morning Mokuba!" she said back. "I see you're still in your pajamas." She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. She herself was wearing a pair of capris that stopped about three inches from her ankle, a short sleeved burgundy shirt that rested just above the rim of her waist line and slightly torn grey tennis shoes that obviously used to be white.

"I haven't been up for too long." Mokuba smiled meekly, rubbing the back of his head. Kariana chuckled and noticed the bowl on the table.

"Why don't you finish your breakfast and I'll go talk to your brother. He is up isn't he?" she asked, walking in further and towards the hall.

"He's in his office." Was all Mokuba said as he watched her go down the hall.

"Come in". Kaiba said as Kariana knocked on his door. Kaiba was surprised to see Kariana enter the room but the surprised look in his eyes didn't last but for a split second. "Miss Ushimato, I didn't expect you today."

"I know its my day off but I have a question." She replied, closing the door.

"If its about Mokuba I already called the school." He said, his eyes plastered on his laptop like usual. He wore his glasses today and they rested on the tip of his nose from him leaning forward.

"No…its not…I mean it is but isn't…" she paused, "I was just wondering if it'd be alright if I took Mokuba to the park today? It wouldn't be for too long, I promise. And I know I messed up last night but I hope you can-"

"I don't care. Take him if you want." Kaiba interrupted her. "Just don't be too late." Kariana's eyes widened a bit.

"Uhh…thank you. I appreciate it." She bowed her head in respect before opening the door. She stopped herself, her body half way out of the door and turned back. "If you don't mind me asking…Are you going to let Mokuba go back?"

"Yes." He replied. Kariana smiled to herself and left.

"Hey Mokuba? Are you done with your breakfast?" Kariana said, a new cheery disposition about her.

"Uh huh." He replied with a nod of his head.

"I'll fix us up a lunch to bring while you get ready." She said as she walked into the kitchen, taking his bowl from him as she passed by.

"Okay." He responded, going into his bedroom. Kariana put the bowl in the sink and noticed the plate she had made for Kaiba the previous night washed and set neatly aside on the counter. She smiled and rinsed out Mokuba's bowl before putting both things in the dish washer.

By the time Mokuba came out, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a blued colored jacket, Kariana was putting their names on paper bags. "Here's yours." She said, handing the bag out to him.

"Thank you." He said as he took it from her.

"Go ahead and get your shoes on and wait for me outside. I'm just going to clean up a bit." She told him. Mokuba nodded and went to the closet door in front of the front door. He got his tennis shoes out and sat down to put them on. He could hear Kariana clanking around in the kitchen as she put things up. He stood up and opened the door and walked out.

* * *

"So what park are we going to?" Mokuba asked as they got to the front of the apartment complex.

"Would you know it if I told you?" she asked.

"Probably not." Mokuba smiled. There was a loud honk as a car pulled up to them. Mokuba jumped back a bit in surprise. The window rolled down and Tristan was driving while Joey was in the passenger's seat.

"Hey." Tristan said, wearing a pair of cheesy sunglasses. Joey waved from the other seat.

"Hey Tristan, Joey." Kariana smiled.

"Need a ride?" Tristan asked.

"That is what I said this morning." Kariana said as she opened the door for Mokuba. Mokuba looked up at her oddly. Once she nodded he hesitantly climbed into the car and she followed in behind him. Just as she closed the door Tristan sped off.

* * *

Kaiba got up from his desk and walked to the door, turning the knob and opening it. When he tried to take a step forward he was hit in the face by some object he had defiantly not put there himself. He snatched the thing down and looked at it, a bit irritatingly. His left eyebrow rose at the full brown paper sack in his hands. On the front in the same marker Kariana had used for the _'Puppy Chow'_ was _'Seto'_ crossed out and _'Kaiba'_ right below it. He chuckled but with a slight scoff. "What a strange girl." He said aloud and walked down the hall.

* * *

Stephan: Yes, another gift from Kariana- its just her style. I hope you liked this chapter so please review!!


	9. Departure

Stephan: SCHOOL IS OUT!! The Finals are over!! I did pretty well I think, 'cept for my World History Final (I was actually spazing out a bit :sweat drop:) I hope all of you that had finals did well!

Part 9: Departure

"Hey guys!" Tea yelled from across the street as she ran over to the group. Kariana and Mokuba looked up from their half eaten sandwiches curiously while Joey and Tristan continued to viciously attack the extra food Kariana had packed.

"Tea!" Kariana's face lit up as she started to stand, setting down her sandwich.

"Hold on a sec," Tea said as she reached them, "Sit down. I have really great news." Kariana sat back down, looking up at her friend oddly.

"What kind of news?" Kariana asked. Tea grinned widely.

"I'm going to New York!!" she exclaimed. Everyone froze for that moment; even Tristan and Joey looked up. "I got accepted to study dance in New York. I'm leaving tomorrow." The color in Joey and Tristan's face paled as they looked up with bits of crumbs on their mouths.

"WHAT?!" both boys exclaimed, suddenly scrambling to their feet and up to Tea.

"Are you kidding?!" Tristan exclaimed, causing Tea to lurch back a bit and a bit more when Joey added,

"Have you told Yugi? Ooh man, that's not good." Joey put his hand on his head. A bright pink flushed Tea's cheeks.

"Wh-what? Why does it matter?!" she stuttered, obviously embarrassed.

Kariana had lost her smile once Tea had said _New York_. She watched her three friends with a frozen stare._ 'What?'_ she thought, _'But…Tea…'_ her eyebrows furrowed into a confused and sad expression. This caused Mokuba to take his attention away from the two loud mouthed boys and focus on Kariana.

"Kari? Are you alright?" he asked. "Kari?" he touched her on the shoulder this time. Tea looked over Joey's shoulder as he and Tristan continued to throw questions at her. Hearing Mokuba had gotten her attention. When she saw Kariana's look she pushed the two boys aside.

"Kari? What's up?" she asked, crouching down as best as she could while wearing a jean skirt.

"Huh?" Kariana snapped back to reality and wound up looking into Tea's blue eyes. "Oh, nothing, nothing!" she smiled, waving it off with her hand. "I just zoned out for a second is all!" Tea stared hard at her for a moment. By this time Joey and Tristan had realized what else was going on. Tea sighed, standing up and straightening her skirt.

"Kari-" Tea tried to speak.

"I'm fine, Tea, really. I'm happy for you!" Kariana stood up with a wide smile. "Honest!" she added as she embraced her friend.

"You better not be lying to me, Kari." Tea warned jokingly, "You know what I do when you lie to me." And embraced her back.

Kariana laughed, "I know, I know!" she pulled back from the hug, smiling ever so brightly. Mokuba looked at that smile and recognized it as one he had seen so many times before. It was how Seto used to smile, how he smiled for _him_. But things were different now…

"We should celebrate!" Joey grinned, throwing his arms over the two girls' shoulders.

"Yeah! And Joey will treat us to ice cream!" Tristan grinned, pushing Joey away and taking his place.

"Yea-Hey! Wait a second!" Joey glared, starting a bickering brawl. Tea sweat dropped as the two _duked_ it out with words. Kariana stretched her arm out to Mokuba, pushing back some hair with her other hand first.

"Come on, let's go." She smiled. This time, her smile satisfied Mokuba. It was a smile he had always wanted someone to give him; a smile that a mother would give her child. He returned that smile in his own way and took her hand.

* * *

"Thank a lot guys!" Kariana said as she and Mokuba waved Joey and Tristan off. They waited until the car had turned the corner before going up the steps to the apartment building. It was darker now, being around eight o'clock. Mokuba followed silently through the lobby, up the elevators and to the apartment door. As Kariana unlocked the door he finally raised a comment.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're very welcome." Kariana smiled, opening the door and walking in. She took off her shoes before walking towards the kitchen. "You hungry?" she asked, as Mokuba closed the door and removed his sneakers.

"A little." He replied.

"Good, 'cause I had," she paused as something caught her eye in the trash can, "Something in mind." She finished, a small smile coming to her lips. It was a crumpled up brown paper sack of which she could faintly see the letters _'K'_ and _'t'_.

"Puppy Chow?" Mokuba asked as he plopped down on the couch. Kariana chuckled.

"Naw, not this time. But close; I was thinking something more along the lines of _Trail Mix_. That okay?"

"Of course!" Mokuba said as he flicked on the TV.

"I'll make sure to leave enough for you and your brother to snack on tomorrow." She said as she pulled bags of miscellaneous food down from the cabinets. Even though he knew Kariana couldn't see, Mokuba nodded in acknowledgement. While _Beyblade_ played on the TV, a thought occurred to Kariana.

"When's Summer Break for you?" she asked. Mokuba stopped and thought about it for a moment.

"In about a month," he replied. Now Kariana was the one to nod out of sight. Her mind wandered on various things as she pulled out a large bowl and opened bags of M&Ms, peanuts, cereal, etc. She opened her mouth to ask another question but found herself silent. _'No. I'll find out on my own, that way it'll be a surprise.'_ She smiled inwardly. _'For __**both**__ of them.'_

* * *

Today was Sunday, the day of Tea's departure. Kariana had managed to snag a ride from Tristan to the airport to see Tea off…as well as Joey, Yugi, Bakura, and Mai. Basically, the ride over there was very cramped and very uncomfortable. Luckily for Kariana, she had called dibs on the front seat. Mai and Joey had protested at first but the situation was quickly fixed once Tristan explained. How could they not know about the International Law of Dibs?

"Yugi…you're kind of…" Bakura said from the back seat.

"Oh, sorry Bakura." Yugi apologized and shifted for him.

"Ow! Bakura you're on my foot!" Joey yelped.

"Sorry Joey." Bakura smiled sheepishly, moving his foot off of Joey's.

"Joey your hand better not be where I think it is!" Mai snapped and there was more shifting followed by a soft _'sorry'_.

"We're here guys." Tristan said as he parked. Once the side doors opened they all tumbled out onto the ground. In an instant, Mai threw Joey off of her while barking _"Move it!"_ Once they had all gathered themselves they went inside to wait for Tea. The airport was very large and had all the updated technology that Domino was famous for. As they stood waiting Kariana couldn't help but think of Kaiba.

_'I wonder if anything here was his…'_ she thought and then mentally smacked herself, _'Of course not. Kaiba doesn't do airports…'_ at least she didn't know if he did. She sighed, _'Great, another thing to look up.'_ At that moment a surprised Tea entered the airport.

"Yugi? Joey, Tristan, Mai, Bakura, and Kari?" she said stunned, looking at each of them when she said their names. "What are you all doing here?"

"We wanted to see you off." Yugi said with a slightly deeper tone. Kariana looked over at him.

_'He did it again!'_ she exclaimed mentally. Since she had met Yugi she had noticed something strange about him, besides his hair. There were times that he seemed more mature and a little taller, different from how he usually was. She shook it off though; she had enough to figure out right now.

"That's really nice guys. Thanks." Tea smiled.

"We're gonna miss ya Tea." Joey said in his _cool_ way.

"Go show those Americans how to really dance." Tristan added.

"I will." Tea said with a little chuckle in her voice.

"Ya know hon," Mai said, standing next to Tea where only she could hear, "If you want a little alone time…" she said, nodding over to Yugi (Yami right now). Tea blushed, causing Mai to grin. "Alright guys! Let's say our goodbyes! We can't keep her forever." She said to the group.

"Bye guys." Tea said as they came in for a group hug.

"Won't be the same without ya Te." (that wasn't a typo btw) Joey said.

"It was nice meeting you." Bakura added as the group hug ended.

"We're going to miss you." Kariana said with her ever so slightly bright smile.

"I'm gonna miss you guys to." Tea said, "I'll keep in touch, promise." She winked, picking up one of her bags. Mai went over and nudged Yami; he had stayed outside of the group hug, and whispered to him.

"Help her carry her bags." She demanded more than suggested. Yami looked at her unsurely and before he could respond was shoved forward a bit.

"Um…" he stammered, having caught himself from falling to the ground, "May I…help you carry your bags?" he asked. Tea paused before smiling.

"Sure." She said and let him carry two of the three bags and they walked off together.

"Ahh, love." Mai sighed, arms crossed as she watched the two walk away.

"Love?" Joey quirked a brow. "What're talking about? _What_ love?" he asked, pretending to scout the area. Mai rolled her eyes.

"Let's go Joey." She said, grabbing him by the ear and leading him, "We're gonna go wait for Tea's plane to take off."

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Joey yelped as he was dragged.

"But that's in like thirty minutes." Tristan complained but followed anyways, ignoring Joey's yelps. Bakura and Kariana held the same slightly amused but weary smile as they followed their friends. Kariana, however, looked back to see Tea and Yugi. Tea's head was down and Yugi had placed a hand on her shoulder. (It's still Yami; he's just Yugi to Kari)

_'Is she crying?'_ Kariana thought just as Yugi took Kariana into a warm embrace. Kariana made a sort of squeak, turning her head around with a slight pink in her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Bakura asked, looking at her. Kariana nodded.

"I'm fine, thank you." She replied. _'Since when…? I mean it's nice but I didn't know…'_ she thought. The concept of a romantic relationship had not been something Kariana was accustomed to. She never had romantic feelings for someone before so seeing two people, especially who were her close friends, hug like that was awkward to her. Affection was something that Kariana only knew of with family and even then it wasn't that strong.

In half an hour, like Tristan had said, Tea's plane took off and everyone waved even though the odds of Tea seeing them were slim to none. It was still nice to wave a friend off. Kariana would miss Tea terribly but somehow she felt a slight peace about her. Kariana sighed as the others turned and started to walk off.

_'Be safe Tea.'_ She thought, her arms around her mid-section.

"Hey Kari! If ya don't hurry up yer gonna get left behind!" Joey shouted, jolting Kariana back to reality.

"Uh, I'm coming!" she shouted back, turning on her heels and running after them. When they reached Tristan's car Yugi, back to his normal self, was waiting. Not much was said at first but once everyone got in the car, squished and all, Yugi was hoarded with embarrassing questions from Joey and Tristan. Mai had called dibs this time and was very happy to have learned of such a rule; she was grateful to not be back there in the mess Yugi was in right now. Kariana sat next to the window by Joey and was somewhat on his lap due to the lack of space. But neither of them seemed to care; Joey was too interested in bugging Yugi and Kariana was busy _zoning out_.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride Tristan." Kariana said as she got out of the car.

"No problem." He replied with a wave.

"Sweet dreams, hon." Mai said, peeking in front of Tristan from the other side.

"Key, Kari, ya want me to walk ya up?" Joey asked, rolling down his window.

"No, that's alright." Kariana smiled.

"Alright." Joey paused, "Take it easy on yerself, okay?"

"I will." She waved and didn't wait for them to drive off before walking up the steps and into her apartment building.

"Hello Kariana." Mrs. Nakahara smiled from behind the front desk. "And how are you this evening?"

"I'm doing well." Kariana smiled, "How's your husband?"

"Same as always; fixated his eyes to the TV, his butt to the couch and his hand to a beer." She said in a mocking manner, not rude but in a _poking fun_ kind of way. Kariana chuckled.

"I see. Well, make sure to get some rest." Kariana said, waving as she went up the stairs.

"Good night dear." Mrs. Nakahara waved back.

Once Kariana had gotten into her apartment, she went straight to the bathroom, kicking her shoes off as she walked. She didn't bother stopping at the door for such a trivial thing right now. She left the bathroom door open and stood in front of her mirror. She looked at her reflection and sighed.

_'I wonder what will happen now…'_ she thought, _'Now that Tea's gone are they going to want to hang out with me? The only reason they ever did was because I was Tea's friend…'_ Kariana clutched the edge of the counter, hunching over a bit as her eyebrows crossed, _'Do I mean anything to them…?' _she bit down on her lower lip, shutting her eyes tight. Her body shuddered as a few tears fell from her eyes into the sink. Slowly, they rolled down until they reached the drain and were soon accompanied by more. Kariana sobbed silently but her body continued to shake and the tears refused to stop. _'Tea…why?'_

* * *

Stephan: Okay, I'm sorry for the filler, but I have to get through these. I want you all to be comfortable with the character and really get to know her. But don't worry, as you should've picked up, Kariana will start thinking about relationships pretty soon. So be patient with me! And don't forget to review! Reviews are very nice, they tell me I should keep going!


	10. Secrets

Stephan: Ehh…I feel so laaaazy. I might get a job at Red Lobster's…Lobster…yuuuuuum. I need to wake uuuup. Must.Write.More.Must.Start.Working.Must.Keep.Rping….I love Rping….And writing…I'm actually I little afraid of this chapter, eh heh heh, if it's not good I can definitely change it. But it's a step out of their comfort zone that's for sure.

Part 10: Secrets

_It's been two weeks since Tea left for New York. We've been writing back and forth by mail and she's doing great. She's been begging me to get a computer so we can e-mail and a cell phone so we can text. I keep telling her I don't have the money yet; but I did get a TV set, not a big one, but at least I have one now. It's the end of June and the rain has been pouring as if there were no end. Today is Saturday, and on Monday Mokuba's teacher is coming for a home visit. I don't understand why they insist on keeping this __**tradition**__; most schools have dropped the idea. Not only that, but Sunday is father's day._

The door to Kaiba's office opened and out walked the CEO, dressed in black slacks and a white button up shirt and socks. His shirt was tucked in and a belt was put in place to keep it that way. "Mokuba," Kaiba called, standing at the entrance of the hall, his glasses perched neatly at the top of his nose. Mokuba looked up from the coffee table where he was doing his homework.

"Yes Seto?" Mokuba replied, still in his blue cotton pajamas that consisted of a shirt and pants.

"Where is Miss Ushimato?" Kaiba asked, a stone look in his eyes as he stood with his arms crossed.

"I think she's doing laundry." Mokuba answered. "Do you need something, Seto?"

"I have some questions for her is all." Kaiba stated as he turned back around and walked down to the second door on the right. As he opened the door to the laundry room he was suddenly put in an awkward situation.

"Whose are these?" Kariana asked in a hushed voice as she thrust a pair or pink lacy panties in Kaiba's face. Kaiba stepped back in reflex when they were shoved in front of his face and fell back onto the door, closing it. He had a disgruntled look on his face and swatted her hand away.

"Get those out of my face." He snarled.

"A-answer my question!" Kariana snapped quietly. She looked angry but her cheeks were flushed. From what Kaiba could tell, she was embarrassed to find them but she was even more furious. What he didn't know was that her heart was racing and that she was nervous like she had never been before.

_FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIER_

_As Kariana pulled the clothes out of the dryer into a basket her hands picked up a pair of pink lacy panties. Her face paled as she stood there in disbelief as she held them out in front of herself. Her hands twitched a few times before her face turned three shades of red and she dropped them on the ground, eyes wide._

She had spent at least ten minutes rehearsing how she would confront Kaiba about it but knew she would still need to work up the courage to do it. Even as she stood there before him now she still felt hopeless and weak.

"Feh. I don't have to answer to you." Kaiba snorted, turning around and gripping the door knob.

"W-wait!" Kariana reached out and grabbed his arm. "You can't do this. You can't keep running, Kaiba! Think about Mokuba." Kariana pleaded, still in a hushed tone, and looked up at him, her green eyes filled with worry. Kaiba stopped, his bangs falling over his eyes but his hand still on the door knob. "If Mokuba had found this…what would he think…what would that do to him?" she said shakily. "Is this how you want him to see you? Do you want him to-"

"**Don't**." Kaiba growled, "Don't tell _me_ how to live _my_ life." He turned his face to her and locked his sharp cruel blue eyes onto hers. His icy glare sent chills up her back and she found herself speechless as he yanked his arm away, opening the door and walking out. Moments later the door to Kaiba's office opened and slammed closed.

"Kari?" Mokuba called as he stood up. "Kari, are you alright?"

_'What do I do?'_ Kariana thought, frozen in place, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. _'What do I do? What do I do?'_ She panicked as she could hear Mokuba walking over and in haste shoved the underwear deep into her right pocket.

"Kari?" Mokuba said again as he came down the hall. Just as he reached the door Kariana came out with a linen basket in her arms.

"Sorry, Mokuba!" she said as she blew a piece of her auburn hair out of her face. She grunted as she readjusted the basket in her arms. "I was just getting the rest of this. Do you need something?" she asked, cheerful and bright. Mokuba was quiet for a moment as if he was trying to figure something out.

"No. I'm fine." He replied.

"That's good. I'm gonna go put this up, okay?" she said as she headed to Kaiba's bedroom door.

"Kari…What did Seto ask you?" Mokuba asked. Kariana hesitated.

"Nothing much. Don't worry about." She reassured him, opening the door to Kaiba's room and entered without giving Mokuba a chance to reply. As she walked towards the far left part of the room she could hear Mokuba walking away and she sighed. _'I'm sorry Mokuba, I just don't want you to get hurt.'_ She thought as she came upon Kaiba's dresser. _'I wonder what he was going to ask me?' _she sighed, pausing in front of the dresser and staring at her reflection in the TV (it sits on top of the dresser). _'I know he's famous and all, but I never thought that he would...' _she blushed at the thought _'Not that I care or anything. It is __**his**__ life, he can do who he wants...er…__**what**__…he wants.'_ her mind trailed off as her eyes fixated on the bed in the reflection of the TV. Suddenly she felt very angry again and seeing the bed caused her feelings to stir. Her hands gripped tightly on the basket and her eyebrows crossed in frustration. She turned around and held out Kaiba's basket of clothes and dumped them onto his bed. Normally she would fold them and put them away; but not today, especially not when she had decided to work on her day off for him.

"Stupid…dirty…sleazy-" she growled out and threw down the basket.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba snapped, standing in front of the doorway. Kariana's head shot up. She looked at the pile back to Kaiba and attempted to speak but nothing came out. Now she felt horrible about it; she had never gotten mad at someone like that…except for her father. Kaiba groaned and shut the door behind him before walking in further. It was clear he was irritated and frustrated; probably just as much as Kariana but he just didn't show it.

"_Look_," he said with an aggravated tone. "I needed to ask you some things earlier, before you brought _that_ up." His eyes glanced down at her pocket where a part of the panties were sticking out. Her eyes followed and she blushed, shoving them back down; they had come out when she had had her burst of anger. "I have to work at the office tonight and tomorrow so you need to be here." he said, hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Also, Mokuba's teacher is coming for a home visit on Monday and I won't be able to be here."

"So you need me to go in your place?" Kariana said distastefully after what seemed a world of silence. "Why do you do this to him? I don't understand." She asked, looking at him for an answer.

"I don't expect you to." Was all Kaiba said before he turned and walked to the door, opening it and leaving to go back into his office.

--SUNDAY--

"Hey, Kari?" Mokuba said from the kitchen as he pulled a bottle of Ramune out of the fridge. "Did you know that today is Father's Day?"

"Yes." Kariana replied without taking her attention away from cleaning the coffee table.

Mokuba took the top off of the Ramune and without looking down pushed the marble down into the neck of the bottle before discarding of the plastic top. "Are you going to do something with your dad?" he asked, taking a sip, the marble clinking against the glass of the bottle.

"No…I need to be here until tonight." She said with content in her voice, but Mokuba could see her sad face in the reflection of the big screen TV.

"I'm sorry…I don't know why Seto is making you do this…You could be with your dad if it weren't for-"

"Mokuba…there's no need to talk like that." Kariana set the rag down and turned to smile at him. "My father is busy today anyways."

"So you got to talk to him?" Mokuba asked, holding his drink in both hands in front of his chest.

Kariana nodded, "Yes. I called this morning; everything is fine so you don't have to worry about it. Let's just enjoy this wonderful day-"

There was a loud crack of thunder as a lightening bolt ran across the sky, causing both Mokuba and Kariana to jump in surprise.

"…Inside anyways." Kariana said with weak smile as Mokuba laughed lightly.

* * *

It was late into night, early into the morning; the clock on the DVD player read 4:29 am. The rain was still falling in a steady but slower shower as it had been for hours. As the clock turned to 4:30 the lock on the Kaiba apartment door _clicked_ and Seto Kaiba walked into the apartment, wet but no where near drenched. He looked over at the couch as he slipped off his shoes and set his umbrella down against the wall near the door. Kariana was sitting up on the couch with the TV on but with the sound off and subtitles on- her attempt of not waking up Mokuba. Her eyes were closed and her head tucked down, her chin barely touching her collarbone. However, once Kaiba had closed the door her head jolted up. She let out a groan as she rolled her shoulders back and rubbed her neck before looking up and realizing Kaiba was back. She stared at him a while, distracted at how the rain had given his hair a glossy look and his bangs seemed to be just a bit longer due to them being damp. He seemed to be looking right through her, but with his bangs low over his blue eyes it was hard to tell. She turned her face away once she realized how long she had stared at him without saying anything.

"The limo is outside; you can go home now." Kaiba spoke as he walked into the living room and toward the hall. Kariana stood up and turned the TV off, the lampposts outside serving as the only light.

"Mokuba…He wants you there tomorrow." She said into the dark not even knowing if Kaiba was still in hearing range. It was silent, a bolt of lightening going across the sky, lightening up Kariana's downcast face for a spilt second.

"There's no point." Came Kaiba's deep stoic voice, "You're with him more than I am. It only makes sense that you'd be here instead of me. Good night Miss Ushimato," he paused, "And I hope we can forget about the past events that have occurred; they are no longer a problem."

_'No longer a problem?'_ she thought, biting down on her lip, "Goodnight…Mr. Kaiba."

Within seconds Kaiba's door had closed, whether it was to his office or his bedroom Kariana couldn't tell. _'Forget…No longer a problem?'_ she thought as she crossed the living room to the front door. _'Does he mean…? I guess...What I said…actually got through to him…'_ she couldn't help but smile, even though it was a sad smile, as she opened the door and left the apartment.

MONDAY-SOMETIME AROUND NOON

"This is ridiculous," Kariana said as she set a tray of snacks - various forms of small sandwiches - on the table. She rose up with her hands on her hips and sighed, her long dark green skirt flowing out as she did.

"Seto did say you're with me more than he is. So it only makes sense you're here." Mokuba said a little gloomily, sitting on the couch still in his black school uniform but without the jacket.

"Mokuba," Kariana said in surprise, looking over at him, "You heard that last night?" Mokuba nodded, "I'm so sorry. That's…that's not what I meant. I just want to get this visit over with; I'm glad to be here." She attempted to smile, putting a hand on his shoulder, "Besides, he only said that so I'd feel more comfortable to do this for him." She tried to reassure him as a knock came from the door. She looked up and sighed, "Great. Well, here we go." She straightened her white blouse as she walked over to the door.

"Good after noon." Kariana said cheerfully as she opened the door but was surprised to see who it was. "M-Ms. Yamakoto?" she stuttered as the principle walked in.

"Close your mouth Miss Ushimato, it's rude for a lady to gape." Ms. Yamakoto snapped, dressed in a horrible cranberry colored pant suit with her brown- grey hair plastered up in a bun. Kariana closed her mouth and shut the door. The older lady looked around the apartment as if trying to analyze every minuet detail.

"I don't mean to be rude," Kariana said as she tried to hold back the anger that was starting to grow inside her, "But isn't Mokuba's home room teacher supposed to be here?"

"Mrs. Katayami is out sick today so I am visiting her students in her place." She replied, hands folded behind her back as she walked over to Mokuba.

_'Sick my ass.'_ Kariana thought, glaring at the woman's back.

_'But she was there earlier…'_ Mokuba had thought.

"So how are you this after noon, Mokuba?" Ms. Yamakoto asked with what was an obvious fake smile.

"Fine, Ms. Yamakoto." Mokuba replied with no real emotion.

"Good." She replied flatly before taking a seat on the couch.

"Would you like a finger sandwich, Ms. Yamakoto?" Kariana asked, gesturing with her hand to the tray on the table.

"Heavens no! Do you not realize the calories one of those might contain? It would ruin my dinner for this evening." She snarled, her cheeks puffing out as she said it.

_'Yeah, like you know anything about__** calories**__.' _Kariana twitched. "I suppose not," she replied, trying to smile but it came out crooked. "Umm, I guess we should get this visit going?"

"Yes. I have many other students to get to and I simply can not waste time."

FORTY FIVE MINUTES LATER

_'Why do I get the feeling she's spending all her time here?'_ Kariana grimaced, as the woman continued to talk non stop about the new programs opening in the school. Kariana sighed, leaning back against the couch. Ms. Yamakoto stopped, glaring over at Kariana.

"Is there a problem Miss Ushimato?" she asked smugly.

"No none at all," Kariana half smiled, _'Except that you're wasting my time and ate nearly __**all**__ of the sandwiches.'_ She thought, glancing down at the near empty tray. _'So much for __**calories**__.'_

"My goodness!" Ms. Yamakoto gasped as she looked down at her watch, "Look at the time. I can't believe you didn't tell me how long it had been!" she exclaimed, standing up. "I absolutely _must_ get going." Kariana stood up as Ms. Yamakoto turned to Mokuba, who had just woken up when she said _my goodness_. "It was…a _pleasure_…seeing you again, Mokuba. Stay out of trouble." She attempted to joke but failed miserably as she followed Kariana to the door.

Kariana turned the handle and held the door open for Ms. Yamakoto. "I hope you're a better actress in front of Mr. Kaiba. Because I must say your act for me today was horrible. Good day, Miss Ushimato." She said as she walked out and Kariana closed the door.

"That stupid fat cow!" Kariana growled, stomping back into the living, "Ooh! She really gets under my skin. I can't stand her!" Kariana marched around in circles as Mokuba watched in slight amusement. "_Close your mouth…don't gape…Calories this, programs that!_ Ugh!" she groaned, finally plopping down onto the couch.

"Do you want something to drink?" Mokuba asked as he stood up.

"That would be great." Kariana said, her head leaning back on the couch and her arms out to the sides. Mokuba smiled and walked by her and into the kitchen. _'…I need to ask him something tonight when he gets home…'_ she thought with her eyes closed. _'I'm just afraid if I keep pushing I'll wind up pushing too hard.'_ She sighed.

"Here." Mokuba said as her handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks Mokuba," she sighed, sitting up and taking the glass. "Let's see what's on."

"Okay." Mokuba said, picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

_'I wonder what kind of women Kaiba likes.' She thought, taking a sip of water, 'Models and actresses no doubt.' _She frowned, remembering what Ms. Yamakoto had said about her acting._ 'Stupid witch…' _she snorted, taking a fairly large gulp of water. _'Can't believe she said those things to me! And the 'don't get into trouble' bit she said to Mokuba for totally uncalled for; I wonder if I should tell Kaiba? ...Probably not; I've already upset him enough as it is.' _she sighed.

"You alright Kari?" Mokuba asked, looking up when he heard her sigh.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm alright." she smiled and Mokuba went back to watching something on the TV._ 'I guess I kind of overreacted Saturday...I deffinately need to talk to him about it.' _a slight pink came to her cheeks as an image of the frilly lace came into her mind._ 'What's wrong with me?!' _she thought, mentaly slapping herself. _'Why can't I get this out of my head?' _she raised the glass up to her lips, taking slow sips and trying to distract herself by watching what Mokuba had changed the channel to.

* * *

Stephan: If I can mange to keep the computer away from my sisters tonight I'll be able to put out another chapter. I really hope I can and if I do it'll be really late. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!!


	11. Falling

Stephan: Wow… Chapter 11 …Wow

Part 11: Falling

Kariana was in the kitchen fixing herself a snack as she waited for Kaiba to get back. "It's already three in the morning," she sighed, leaning on the counter with her elbows and popping a piece of cucumber into her mouth. _'What's taking him so long?'_ she thought as she swallowed. _'I really need to ask him-'_ she looked up as she heard the click of the lock and the door opening. _'He's back.'_ She thought and tried to discreetly hurry over to him. Kaiba, having just slipped off his shoes, heard footsteps coming toward him and looked up to see Kariana already standing in front of him. She was silent and he looked at her oddly.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, umm," she started, "I just have a few questions for you."

"I can't guarantee I'll have the answers." Kaiba replied, walking past her.

"Well," she turned and started to follow him, "I'm certain you can. It's just a matter if you will." She stated but got nothing in return. "May I ask them?" she said as she followed him into his office, where he sat down his briefcase.

"Do what you want." Kaiba replied, his back to her as he opened his brief case and shuffled through it.

"Well, first off, and I know it's not any of my business, but I've been wondering why you've been gone so much? I-if it's confidential you can just ignore that question." She said nervously, _'Why is it I'm only confident when I'm angry?'_ she thought, feeling ashamed of her weakness. Kaiba stopped what he was doing, a sort of groan escaping his throat.

"Do you know what the seventh is?" he asked, turning around and sitting on the edge of his desk with his arms crossed.

"M-Monday?" she replied unsurely, distracted by the glint in his eyes as he looked at her.

Kaiba scoffed, half annoyed but half amused as well. "It's Mokuba's birthday." Suddenly a light clicked on in Kariana's head.

"So…you've been working now…So you can take time off for his birthday?"

Kaiba smirked. "You're smarter than I thought you were, Ushimato." He said, causing her to frown at him. "So what is your other question?" he asked, crossing his ankles.

Kariana paused as she fidgeted with the proper way to ask. "Regarding Saturday's event," she started, and paused when Kaiba's expression changed to something most unpleasant. She turned her eyes away from him as she continued. "I was just wondering, for Mokuba's sake, if you really-"

"Ushimato." Kaiba interrupted, "Stop using Mokuba as a crutch." Kariana looked up, her emerald colored eyes wide in shock and her mouth gaped open ever so slightly. "Go home. I don't want to ever hear you use Mokuba in a sentence like that again. So go home and _don't_ bring this up again." His words stabbed at her like a thousand frozen needles, terrifying her to an unbelievable extent.

"I-I'm sorry." She bowed her head in apology before walking out of his office.

Kaiba sighed, running his hand though his hair before taking his forehead into his left hand. "Ushimato…" he said under his breath, shaking his head.

--FRIDAY--

_Today was the first day this week Mokuba had to go to school all day. The home visit lasted for four days (usually it only takes three; I blame Ms. Yamakoto) and in order for the teachers to visit, the school had to let the students out when it was lunch time. I've thought a lot about what Kaiba said to me and I believe him. I've been using Mokuba as an excuse to talk to him and he figured that out before I did. I feel horrible about it because it's true and I wish it wasn't. I hate this feeling but at the same time I can't get enough of it. I think there's something wrong with me…I think I'm falling Seto Kaiba._

"Hey, Mokuba? What do you want for dinner?" Kariana asked as she flipped through a cook book she had taken out of one of the upper cabinets- a book she had left there.

"Dinner? Isn't it a bit early?" the blue eyed boy asked as he hung over the top of the couch, looking at Kariana.

"Don't be silly, it's already-" she stopped as she looked at the clock. "Four forty…" she blinked in confusion. "Huh, I thought it was later than that…Oh well, pick something anyways." Mokuba looked up in thought; his eyes sparkled as an idea came to him.

"Can I have a chocolate parfait?" he asked. Kariana laughed.

"Mokuba, that's a dessert!" she chuckled, holding her hand to her mouth as if to contain her laughter.

"Yeah, but they're really good!" he exclaimed with a pout.

"Okay, okay, we can have some _after_ dinner. Is that alright?"

Mokuba's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really Kari? You mean it?"

"Would I lie to you?" she asked. Mokuba was quiet and looked up in thought again. "Uh, hey now! Are you doubting me? I might just throw this cook book at you." She joked, raising the book above her head as Mokuba put his arms up in defense.

"Meep!"

Both were silent and blinked in confusion. "Was that-?" Kariana started, pointing at Mokuba.

"Don't look at me. I thought it was you." He said in defense.

"If it wasn't me…and it wasn't you then what was it?" Kariana said.

"Um, K-Kari?" Mokuba stuttered, pointing at the counter behind her.

"Hm?" Kariana turned around to see what Mokuba was pointing at and there right on the counter was a tiny grey mouse. Her eyes widened, the color fading from her face as she dropped the cook book on the ground. "M-m-ma-mouse!" she exclaimed, pointing at the fuzzy rodent that stared up at her in curiosity. "Quick! Grab something!"

"Grab what?" Mokuba asked, not really understanding why she was acting so strange.

"A book! A broom! Anything!" she twitched as she ran around the kitchen looking for something. The mouse let out another squeak as it watched Kariana run around.

"Huh. It's not moving." Mokuba thought aloud, "It mustn't feel like it's in danger."

"Mokuba," Kariana said looking between the fridge and the wall before standing back up, "Why aren't you help-" as she turned around and stepped forward her face smacked into the cabinet door she had left open from taking out the cookbook. "-ing?" there was a loud thud as she fell to the ground. The mouse scurried off after Kariana fell, climbing down the phone cord and then running underneath the lower cabinets.

"Kari! Are you alright?!" Mokuba exclaimed as he climbed over the couch.

"What's going on?"

Mokuba stopped and looked over at the door way. "Seto?!" he exclaimed as his older brother looked oddly at him after closing the door.

"What was all that noise about? I could hear you all the way down the hall." Kaiba stated as he took off his shoes.

"W-well, there was this mouse and Kari started to freak out and ended up hitting her head on one of the cabinet doors!" Mokuba explained as he led Kaiba into the kitchen were an unconscious and rather ridiculous looking Kariana was sprawled out on the floor. Kaiba set his briefcase down on the counter and walked over to her unconscious body. Seeing the still open cabinet he closed it and then crouched down beside Kariana.

"Go get a blanket and a pillow, Mokuba. I'll move her to the couch." Kaiba said as he hooked his left arm behind her head and his right under her legs, picking her up.

"Y-yes Seto!" Mokuba nodded and ran off to the laundry room. With a few strides across the living room, Kaiba set Kariana carefully down onto the couch. "You idiot." He said to her unconscious form as Mokuba came out with a blanket and pillow.

* * *

"Kari? Kari? Hey, Seto! I think she's waking up!"

"Uwah?" Kariana groaned. She blinked her eyes a few times, a blurry vision of Mokuba hovering above her. She placed her hand on her forehead, where a cold washcloth had been placed and squinted her eyes at the bright light. "M-Mokuba?" she stuttered as her vision became clearer.

"Hey Kari. How are you feeling?" Mokuba asked as she attempted to sit up, the washcloth falling onto her lap.

"I see you finally decided to wake up." Kaiba said as he stood at the entrance of the hallway with his arms crossed, still wearing the black suit he wore to work but without the jacket and shoes.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" she groaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Perhaps." Kaiba shrugged.

"I picked something out for dinner, Kari." Mokuba said cheerfully.

"You did?" Kari said, still rubbing her forehead. "What is it?"

"Beef fillet with foie gras." Mokuba replied with a smile, pronouncing foie gras perfectly. Kaiba looked oddly at his brother for having said his (Kaiba) favorite food.

Kariana hesitated for a moment. "Umm, okay. The beef fillet part I can definitely do. The foie gras, not so much."

"Oh, okay." Mokuba looked up at Seto but got not real reaction from his brother.

"Wait…what time is it?" Kariana asked and before she could respond Kaiba replied.

"Six o'clock." She looked over at Kaiba, confused.

"Seto came home early." Mokuba informed her, "He's going to spend all weekend with me!" he exclaimed happily.

"Oh," she said, _'I thought he was gonna wait until tomorrow.'_ She thought as she pulled her legs over the edge of the couch. "Well, I guess I'd better start on dinner then." She smiled.

"Are you sure you can get up, Kari?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah! Of course." She grinned, standing up to only fall backwards and Mokuba barely catching her. "Woah, guess I got up too fast." She chuckled as Mokuba kept her steady. Kaiba rolled his eyes as the two made their way into the kitchen.

"I'm going to go finish something up." Kaiba stated, turning his back to walk away.

"You're not going to help Seto?" Mokuba asked a little sadly. Kaiba stopped and stood where he was. It took him a few seconds of debating with himself before he responded.

"You can get me when dinner is done." he replied and walked down the hall and into his office. Mokuba let out a sigh after hearing Kaiba's door close.

"It's alright Mokuba." Kariana said, "He just wants to make sure he finishes absolutely everything so he doesn't wind up working during your weekend together." She smiled, pulling out a cookie sheet.

"Yeah, you're right." Mokuba agreed, "Hey Kari, are you afraid of mice?"

Kariana froze for a second. "N-now why would you say that?" she asked with a nervous smile.

"Well, you kind of flipped out earlier and ended up knocking yourself unconscious."

"Oh, yeah…_that_." She sighed, "Yeah, I have this thing against mice." She said, hanging her head in shame.

Mokuba laughed, "You're funny, Kari."

* * *

"Seto! Dinner's ready!" Mokuba called and a minute later the CEO came out from his office. As he walked into the living room he eyed the spectacle before him. "We made lots of food!" Mokuba grinned.

"I can see that." Kaiba replied, raising an eyebrow at the coffee table that was set up as if it were a dinner table. There were three sets of dinner ware, one for the each of them, and each were already filled with beef fillet with some sort of brown sauce-but definitely not foie gras- a baked potato fully dressed in sour cream, chives and shredded cheese, and mixed vegetables.

"Come and sit down Seto." Mokuba smiled, sitting on the ground nearest to the couch, Kariana on his left side. Kaiba took his _seat_ next to Mokuba and looked down at his plate as if analyzing it.

"Mokuba baked the potatoes and dressed them." Kariana said as she took a bite of her potato.

"It…looks nice." Kaiba said, taking his fork into his left hand and his knife in his right, cutting even slices out of the beef fillet. Mokuba, surprisingly enough, started to eat the mixed vegetables.

"This is the first time we've all eaten together, isn't it?" Kariana commented after a while of silence. Mokuba nodded.

"Kari, why are you afraid of mice?" he asked, setting down his fork and knife.

"Um, well," Kariana paused, setting down her own utensils, while Kaiba continued to eat silently. "It's…complicated." She said, picking her utensils back up.

"Oh…When is your birthday, Kari?" Mokuba asked as she was about to cut into her fillet.

"March third." She replied and before she could get a full cut into her fillet was asked another question.

"If you just graduated how come you're not going to college?"

"Because my family didn't have the money."

"You didn't have the money?"

"Nope." She replied, cutting into her food anyways.

"Oh…are you poor?"

"Mokuba, that's enough." Kaiba scolded without looking up from his meal. "You're asking Miss Ushimato too many questions."

"It's alright, Mr. Kaiba, I don't mind it." Kariana reassured him. Mokuba looked from his brother to Kariana.

"How come you guys are so formal with each other?" he asked, "Kari's been here for over a month and you still call each other _Miss_ and _Mr_."

"Miss Ushimato works for us, it would be improper for me to refer to her as anything _but_ Miss Ushimato." Kaiba replied as he finished his fillet.

"So do I need to call her Miss Ushimato, too?"

"It's different, Mokuba." Kariana smiled, "You could say I'm working _with_ you in a sense so it's alright to call me Kari."

"Oh." Mokuba paused, he hadn't eaten too much of his food while Kariana and Seto were at least half way done; but he still had a few more questions and he wasn't sure when or if all three of them would be together again. "Seto?"

"What is it, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked as he picked up his glass of water.

"Can Kari come with us to Okinawa?" Mokuba asked, causing Kari to choke on her food and Kaiba's drink to spill over the top a bit.

"W-what?" Kariana gasped as she managed to swallow.

"Mokuba, that's not an appropriate question for right now." Kaiba said, feeling uneasy about Mokuba's question.

"But, Seto, we're going for my birthday. Can't I invite Kari?" Mokuba pleaded, leaning forward on the table.

"M-Mokuba, don't you think you're being a bit… irrational?" Kariana asked nervously as Mokuba looked over at her with imploring big blue eyes.

"But Kari…" he said with such an insistent tone.

"Finish your dinner Mokuba. Miss Ushimato and I will discuss this later tonight." Kaiba said, having regained his cool and calm composure.

"You promise Seto?" Mokuba asked, looking hard at his brother.

"Yes. Now finish your dinner." Kaiba promised. Mokuba waited a few seconds before feeling sure his brother was telling the truth and sat down.

_'Mokuba,'_ Kariana thought as she looked back and forth at both boys, _'What have you gotten me into?'_

* * *

"Mokuba's finally asleep." Kariana informed Kaiba as she leaned into his office. "I'll be going home now." She stated and retreated her upper body from his doorway.

"Miss Ushimato?" Kaiba called and within seconds she leaned back in.

"Yes, Mr. Kaiba?" she replied.

"We need to talk." He reminded her, though fully aware that she had not forgotten but that she was just trying to avoid another awkward conversation.

"Oh…okay." She said and stepped fully inside his office. He was sitting at his desk, his laptop closed and his hands folded neatly before him.

"About what Mokuba said earlier-"

"Oh, it's alright," Kariana interrupted, "I know he was thinking ahead of himself-"

"_Let me finish_." Kaiba interrupted back, his tone being enough for her to shut her mouth, "Have your bags packed and be ready by seven tomorrow morning." Kariana stared in disbelief.

"What?" she gaped.

"I said have your-"

"No, no. Sorry, I heard you I'm just a bit shocked is all." She paused, "Um, thank you, Mr. Kaiba." She said with a bow of her head.

Kaiba nodded. "_Now_ you may go home, Miss Ushimato." Kariana nodded, closing his door as she walked out of his office.

* * *

"Wow." Kariana said aloud as she entered her apartment, taking off her shoes as she closed her door. "I can't believe that happened…" she continued to talk aloud to herself as she passed by her phone, a red light flashing continuously on the answering machine. "I've never been outside of Domino City before…I can't believe I'm going to Okinawa…with Mokuba and Kaiba of all people…" she walked into her room and plopped down onto her tatami mat of a bed. She reached out and grabbed her alarm clock, setting her alarm for five thirty, six hours from then. "Things…have really changed around here…"

* * *

Stephan: Bwahahahahahaa! See? See? I said I would get another chapter out didn't I? **grin** I know this might have sounded a little cliché but it _is_ Mokuba's birthday and I am sticking to a set calendar so why can't I make this happen…okay…my mind is slipping away from me…I need to go to bed **sigh**


	12. To Okinawa

Stephan: Hey guys, sorry for the delay but I had surgery on my neck this past Tuesday (the 15th). Ask JediMasterAlexRow, she got to see my neck with 'yes' and all dotted and stuff. I get them off this coming Monday, whoo-hoo! Anyways...

1) Thank you Arana, KasumiCho, naturally morbid, JMAR and insomniacawake for reviewing! I'm thrilled you all continue to read and like my story!

2)I'm a little worried about this chapter but I think it came out pretty good and I hope you all agree. Oh, and I'm sorry for the jumps but I just wanted to give you some information as well as show you how new this all is Kariana. So please bear with me. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, the Nikko Alivila Hotel or the Churaumi Aquarium. Nikko Alivila Hotel and Churaumi Aquarium are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to these places. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me.

Part 12: To Okinawa

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" Kariana gasped from inside her room. Shuffling and banging noises echoed into the living room where the clock on the wall read six thirty am. Moments later a half dressed and _distressed_ Kariana stumbled out of her room. She slid across the floor, much to her dislike, but caught herself before she could fall and then darted into the bathroom. She grabbed her hairbrush and attacked her matted brown mass with quick strokes until she had it to her liking. She then proceeded to do something of the same pattern as she brushed her teeth. A few more brushes and a rinse later, with both brushes in her hands as well as her toothpaste, Kariana abandoned the bathroom and returned to her room, once again neglecting the flashing red light on her answering machine.

* * *

Seto Kaiba looked down at his watch as he and Mokuba rode in the limo on their way to Kariana's apartment. _'6:54; she better be ready.'_ Kaiba thought with a frown plastered on his face. Mokuba, however, looked exactly opposite of Seto Kaiba; he was grinning up to his ears and his blue eyes were filled with anticipation.

* * *

Kariana, now fully dressed in what was her _best outfit_- grey capris slacks with a thick waistband and a black tube top shirt with strings that tied around her neck along with black flat soled shoes- threw a small backpack over her right shoulder and picked up a medium sized suitcase in her left hand. As she made her way to the door, mentally going over a checklist in her head, she passed the answering machine. However, this time she noticed the flashing red light and stopped. She glanced at the time and grimaced, looking back at the answering machine.

_'It's already 6:58…'_ she hesitated, just staring at the machine before finally convincing herself to push the button and listen.

_"You have…eight new messages…"_ the machine blurted at her.

"_Eight_?" Kariana repeated, baffled.

_"First new message- June 30;_

_Hey, Kari, this is Joey…"_

"Joey?" Kariana stared oddly at her machine.

_"I was just callin' to check up on you. The gangs been pretty worried; we haven't heard from you in days…But I guess I'll call back another time…"_

There was a click as the message ended. "How did he get my number?" Kariana asked herself.

_"Second new message- July 30;_

_Hey, Kari, it's Joey. I forgot to give you my number…"_

Kariana dropped her suitcase on the ground and fumbled around for a piece of paper and pen so she could write down Joey's number as it was rattled off.

_"Oh, and I got yer number from Tea, just so ya know I'm not a stalker or anything…Yeah…anyways, just call me back when you get this."_

Another click.

Kariana shoved the paper into her pocket, picking up her suitcase she had set down in order to write Joey's number. She hurried to the door and left, leaving the machine going until all the messages were played.

_"Third new message- July 1;_

_It's me again…Joey...Are you alright, Kari? You're really starting to freak me out-er, I mean us! You know- the whole gang. We're really worried about you…"_ there was a pause before he spoke again and this time he sounded crestfallen, _"__**I'm**__ really worried about you…Anyways…I'll call back tomorrow…"_

CLICK

* * *

"You're late." Kaiba stated coldly as Kariana entered the limo, the door being closed behind her and her bags having been placed in the trunk already.

"Sorry." She apologized, sitting next to Mokuba. _'By __**one**__ minute.'_ She pouted inwardly but managed a smile on the outside when Mokuba grinned up at her.

"Are you excited Kari?" the raven haired boy asked.

Kariana nodded. "You bet; I've never been outside Domino City in my entire life."

"You haven't?" Mokuba said, astonished.

Kariana shook her head, "My parents never had the money…But that doesn't matter right now," she smiled awkwardly, waving it off with her hand. "This weekend is all about you, Mokuba." Mokuba smiled back at her with a nod. Kariana looked over at Kaiba, feeling his eyes on her.

"U-um…" her eyes locked onto the ice blue daggers that were his eyes, "Is there…something wrong?" she asked as Mokuba looked between the two of them.

"Hmph," Kaiba turned away with his eyes closed and his arms and ankles crossed. "No, I'm just a little surprised to not see you in ratty old jeans."

"O-oh…" Kariana blushed in embarrassment. _'What was that about? Why did he say that?'_ she thought, resting her hands in her lap and looking down at her feet.

"Seto…" Mokuba looked up at his older brother and sighed. Perhaps this was a bad idea…

* * *

"This plane really belongs to you?" Kariana gaped as she stepped up into the Kaiba Corporation jet. It looked nothing like an ordinary plane. There was only one row of four seats in the front and the rest was open spaced and lined with built in chairs and couches as well as a table.

"It belongs to Seto really." Mokuba said as the attendant closed the door and latched it. Kariana looked back at the closed door.

"What about your brother? Where is he?" she asked.

"Oh, he's the pilot." Mokuba said cheerily, with a sense of pride.

"He…is?" Kariana said in astonishment.

Mokuba nodded. "Seto likes to fly whenever he can. Plus he doesn't really trust anyone to fly this plane."

"Why is that?" Kariana asked as she moved her hand over the soft red velvet of one of the couches.

"This was his first plane." Mokuba answered as he plopped down onto the couch opposite the one Kariana stood by.

"Oh," Kariana said, staring down in thought.

_"This is the co-pilot speaking,"_ said what was obviously a computer speaking from the intercom, causing both Kariana and Mokuba to look up. _"I'm going to ask all passengers to be seated as we are about to take off."_

Kariana did so just before the engine of the plane started to rumble. "I thought the _pilot_ was supposed to say that." Kariana said as she looked over at Mokuba.

"I guess, but Seto doesn't really like to." Mokuba said with a slight shrug.

"He sure is strange." Kariana commented as she leaned back and sighed, closing her eyes in thought. Mokuba didn't say anything else as the wheels of the plane began to turn and they moved on down the runway.

_'Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp. What is it that goes on in your mind? Why are you so bitter?'_ she thought, taking in the feeling of herself sinking into the soft velvet as the plane rose, it's nose pointing towards the sky. _'I've never flown before…this is amazing…No wonder he likes to fly.'_ She opened her eyes but did not see Mokuba. She looked to her left at the back and saw he was getting a drink from a small fridge. She turned around on the couch to sit on her knees and looked out the window. _'Everything is so small,'_ she thought as she gazed down at the ground below them. _'Is this how I look to the world? Am I only just another small piece of this vast place?'_ she rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. _'Is this how __**he**__ sees me?'_ she thought.

"Kari?" Mokuba said from behind her. Kariana turned around to see Mokuba holding a soda can out to her. "You thirsty?" he asked.

"Thank you, Mokuba." Kariana smiled, taking the soda and sat sideways. "You are very sweet." Mokuba smiled and sat down next to her, opening his soda. The can hissed as Mokuba pulled the tab up and some of the bubbles came out. "I don't think I'd like to be the world." Kariana said with a sad smile, causing Mokuba to look up at her funny. "A part of me is afraid to be somebody's world…Because to the world, that one person is just another person…Just another small piece…of everything else."

"Kari?" Mokuba said with concern. Kariana's expression changed to something neutral as she _came back to her senses_…

* * *

_"It's nothing, Mokuba. Don't worry about what I said, I just zoned out is all."_ Kariana's voice echoed quietly into the cockpit from a small speaker as Kaiba kept his eyes focused in front of him. The young CEO let out what could only be a soft sigh as he pressed the _auto pilot_ button and leaned back into his chair.

_'Just another piece,'_ Kaiba thought, images of the Chess game he had played against Gozaburo Kaiba came into his mind and even more of Mokuba played in his head. _'Of everything else.'_

* * *

"It's…so big." Kariana said as she stared out the window of the limo they rode in- Kaiba had rented it before hand.

"Wait till you see the beach, Kari! It's really amazing." Mokuba said as he sat between the two teenagers again.

"The beach will have to wait until tomorrow, Mokuba." Kaiba said. Mokuba turned to stare sadly at his brother.

"How come, Seto?" he asked with bright blue eyes.

"Because I already bought tickets to the Churaumi Aquarium." Kaiba replied, causing Mokuba's eyes to widen.

"Really Seto?!" he exclaimed in such excitement it surprised Kariana. "Do we get to--" Kaiba nodded before Mokuba could finish his sentence. "Thank you so much Seto!" Mokuba grinned and embraced his brother.

"Uh," Kaiba looked down at his younger brother in surprise, losing his composure in front of Kariana. He glanced up at her and she immediately turned away, gazing back out the window. Kaiba sighed, putting one arm around Mokuba's shoulders.

"You're welcome…Mokuba."

* * *

"Here," Kaiba held out a credit card to Mokuba as they stood inside the Nikko Alivila Hotel. "Go with Miss Ushimato to the nearest restaurant and have lunch."

"Okay Seto." Mokuba took the card from his older brother, "But what about you?"

"I still have some things to schedule. I'll meet you at your room in an hour or so." Kaiba said and Mokuba nodded. "Miss Ushimato," Kaiba called. Kariana stopped wandering around the vast and intricately decorated lobby and looked over at Seto Kaiba.

"Um, yes?" she said, walking up to the two Kaiba brothers.

"Here is a key to your room and one to Mokuba's; _don't_ lose them." He said as he held out two card keys to her.

"Oh, thank you." She said and took it from his hand, brushing off the last part of his sentence.

"Are you hungry Kari?" Mokuba asked.

"Very." She smiled. "We are we going?"

Mokuba shrugged. "Whatever is closest." He said and started to walk, motioning for her to follow. Kariana took a few steps and looked back at Kaiba but all she saw was the back of his white button up shirt as he walked away in the opposite direction.

* * *

"That was really good." Kariana said as she sat back in her chair while Mokuba handed the server the small black book that contained the receipt and Kaiba's credit card.

"It was." Mokuba agreed, smiling over at Kariana after he handed off the book. "What did you like best?"

"I really like the design of this place." Kariana stated as she gazed out the large window that was also the wall of the building. They were sitting at a small table placed right near the glass wall and could look out at the people and buildings. If they looked far enough, they could see the beach and ocean just a little farther out.

"I liked their chocolate parfait." Mokuba grinned, causing Kariana to chuckle.

"That's so you Mokuba." She said as the server came back and set the booklet back on the table.

"I hope you two enjoyed your meals." Said the black haired Okinawan woman, "You're welcome back any time Mr. Kaiba."

"Thank you." Mokuba replied before she walked away.

"It's so weird to hear them call you Mr. Kaiba." Kariana chuckled as she rose out of her chair, Mokuba following in suet.

"I've gotten used to it." He responded as he took the receipt and credit card and put them in the pocket of his navy blue slacks. "Everyone at Kaiba Corp calls me that." He added and Kariana nodded.

"Yeah," she said as they walked out of the restaurant, "You think your brother is there yet?"

"Probably; Seto's not one to be late."

* * *

"Welcome back—" the woman at the front desk started to say as Seto Kaiba walked into the Nikko Alivila hotel.

_'Damnit!'_ Kaiba cursed inwardly but steamed with anger on the outside. _'Not only do they tell me the Dolphin Studio, Ocean Nursery__** and**__ the Old Expo Aquarium Arcade is closed but they made me __**wait**__ just to hear it.'_

"-Mr. Kaiba." The lady finished as Kaiba stormed off past her and towards the elevator.

* * *

"Huh? That's strange." Mokuba said as he and Kariana stepped into the empty room.

"I thought you said he wasn't one to be late?" Kariana asked as she walked further into Mokuba's room while the blue eyed boy checked the bathroom for his brother.

"He isn't." Mokuba said in just as much confusion as Kariana had asked, if not more. "Seto is never late. Something must have happened--" Mokuba looked up in mid-sentence just as his brother appeared in the doorway. "Seto--"

"Mokuba," Kaiba spoke, interrupting his younger brother's sentence. He glanced over at Kariana, hesitant to speak in front of her for her moss-colored eyes were locked onto him in a perplexed stare. "Miss Ushimato, you are excused for the time being." He said after a moment.

Kariana raised one brow and lowered the other one. "Umm," she paused, "Okay." She said slowly before walking out and closing the door behind her. _'That was relatively…polite…'_ she thought, her face painted with bewilderment.

* * *

Mokuba's head was lowered after Kaiba had finished telling him the bad news about the Churaumi Aquarium, his black bangs covering his eyes. "Do you still want to go?" Kaiba asked, facing the window with his arms crossed while Mokuba sat on the edge of his bed.

Mokuba looked up and smiled, "Yes." He answered, but Kaiba could tell when he looked at Mokuba that the thirteen, almost fourteen, year old boy was disappointed. That was something Kaiba could never forget; he would always be able to tell when his younger brother was sad. The three biggest parts of the Aquarium were closed, the three things Mokuba was most excited to see.

"We'll leave in half an hour then." Kaiba said as he turned and walked toward the door. "Did you have enough to eat?" he asked before placing his hand on the door handle. Mokuba shook his head up and down.

"Kari and I had a great lunch…Are _you_ hungry Seto?" Mokuba asked in return, showing his own concern and looking up at Kaiba with bright blue eyes.

"I'm fine…" Kaiba paused as he opened the door, "I'll inform Miss Ushimato of our plans." He added before leaving.

Moments later Kaiba knocked on Kariana's door. He could hear the squeak of her bed when she got up and the shuffling of her feet as she walked over to the door. "Hello." Kariana greeted the eighteen year old CEO with a bright smile as she opened her door.

"We're going to the Churaumi Aquarium; be down in the lobby no later than half an hour from now." Kaiba demanded, "Make sure Mokuba is ready as well." And turned away, walking off without giving Kariana a chance to respond. She double blinked in confusion before she peeked her head out the door and looked down the hall. She caught just a glimpse of his back as he entered into his own room just a few doors down.

_'What is up with him?'_ she thought, tucking in the corner of her lip and crossing her eyebrows. _'I wonder what he said to Mokuba earlier…' _She sighed, pulling her head back inside before closing her door.

* * *

"So what do you want to see first?" Kariana asked Mokuba as the three of them walked into the Aquarium, Mokuba leading the two eighteen year olds. Mokuba shrugged, the collar of his blue polo shirt popping up a bit as he did.

"The turtles?" He replied with uncertainty, almost like a question. Kariana looked oddly at him then at Kaiba.

"You know what? That sounds like a great idea, doesn't it Kaiba?" Kariana smiled, looking up at the brunette. Kaiba only shrugged, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants. "I think there's somewhere we can get a map…" Kariana stated as she looked around. "Aha," she exclaimed as she found a stand, the three of them stopping. "There they are."

"I'll get one." Mokuba said as he already started off towards the stand.

"Oh…okay." Kariana said but Mokuba had already left. She shifted her footing, holding her hands behind her back. She looked up at Kaiba but he continued to stare at what she presumed to be nothing but the air in front of his face.

"What are you staring at?" Kaiba said coldly, turning to look at her with piercing blue eyes. Kariana flustered, turning away quickly and locking her eyes onto the ground.

"Nothing." She replied. Kaiba stared at her before scoffing and looking at _the air in front of him_. A few yards away Mokuba was talking to the person behind the stand, asking for a map of the Aquarium. "Why is Mokuba acting funny?" Kariana asked after a period of silence.

Kaiba glanced at her. "Three of the events are closed due to _possible hazards_. Mokuba was looking forward to them." He informed her.

"Oh," Kariana looked up as Mokuba came back, a map in hand.

"Here Kari." Mokuba said as he handed her the map.

"Thanks Mokuba." She smiled, taking it from him. "Alright, let's find where the turtles are so we can start the beginning of an awesome day!" She opened the map and with Mokuba's assistance searched for where the turtles would be.

_'I'm going to make sure Mokuba has a great time,'_ Kariana thought, smiling as Mokuba found it on the map and pointed at it._ 'He deserves to have the best birthday as possible…'_

* * *

Kaiba sat on a bench as Mokuba and Kariana, as well as many other spectators, fascinated themselves with the _Life in "Inoh"_ touch pool; a small pool where you can see and touch living seashells and starfish. Mokuba grinned and laughed as Kariana pointed something out and made a funny face, as if mocking the sea creature. Kaiba let out an irritated groan and stood up, walking over to them.

"It's getting late." He stated, causing Mokuba and Kariana to turn and look at him.

"Can't we stay a little longer, Seto?" Mokuba asked with big blue eyes. Kariana, having caught the irritated look in Kaiba's eyes, replied for him.

"Your brother's right Mokuba." She glanced at Kaiba before smiling at Mokuba, "The Aquarium's about to close and besides, weren't you just complaining about how hungry you were?" She walked away from the touch pool and started to lead them out.

Mokuba pouted but knew Kariana spoke the truth. "Okay Kari," he paused, "Where are we gonna eat?" he asked, looking up at Kariana as he and Kaiba followed behind her.

"Um, well," Kariana glanced at the aggravated look Kaiba gave her and smiled weakly. "I don't think that's up to me…"

"Why not?" Mokuba asked. Kariana continued making glances at Kaiba.

_'He's really upset…'_ she thought. "Well, I'm kind of tired so I thought I'd just retire early tonight."

"What? But it's only seven thirty!" Mokuba exclaimed as they reached the entrance/exit of the Aquarium.

"I know, but…" she paused, "I'd really like to take a long bath tonight." Mokuba looked up at her strangely and behind him Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"Okay Kari." Mokuba said, finally giving in and then looked back at his brother. "I'll call for the limo, Seto."

"I already did." Kaiba informed him.

"Oh…" Mokuba paused, thinking for a moment, "Then…I'll go find him!" he said and before either Kaiba or Kariana could respond he darted off to the parking lot. Kariana and Kaiba stopped just outside the exit and stood quietly in what Kariana felt was an awkward silence.

"You're a terrible liar." Kaiba said, breaking the silence and surprising Kariana.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked meekly, managing an uneasy smile.

"You know what I mean," Kaiba paused as Kariana turned her head down to stare at her feet. "I don't need your help."

"I know," she replied, "But once I saw you sitting there by yourself it just kind of hit me…I didn't mean to spend so much time with him- I mean I did but I didn't mean to--"

"You worry too much, Ushimato." Kaiba interrupted just as the limo pulled up, causing Kariana to look up at him, her green eyes wide as she took in the smirk that played on his lips. "Take your _long bath_, you deserve it." Kariana stared up at him, fascinated with the way the breeze blew his bangs up off his forehead and then made their way back down again.

"O-okay." She stuttered, a slight pink in her cheeks, managing to look away from him as he started to walk toward the limo. _'This can't be good…'_ she thought as she followed him, _'There's no way I'd ever…that he'd ever…'_ she groaned inwardly, _'What have I gotten myself into?'_

* * *

Stephan: That was a little more than what I've written before but I really wanted to get in that little bit at the Aquarium. You'll have to pardon me for not telling more but it was basically just a lot of sight seeing where Kariana and Mokuba gawked at everything. Plus I've never been there so I couldn't really give a big description- sorry. I hope you liked it anyways.


	13. Resentment

Stephan: I seem to be making this a habit- I don't update for a long time then I post two chapters right after each other. Haha. Oh well, its better than waiting a long time. Thank you guys for reading and reviewing! It really makes me want to keep going- so please don't stop!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the Ashibinaa mall; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters-which has not happened and I'm not sure it will- are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Part 13: Resentment

"Seto," Mokuba said, looking up from his plate where only a few slices of dragon fruit remained. "Do you not like Kari?" he asked as Kaiba cut the last of his fish into smaller portions.

"Miss Ushimato is a good employee. I have no problems with her." Kaiba replied almost too calmly without looking up.

"Oh," Mokuba paused, "Kari is really great, Seto. She's really funny, nice and-"

"Stop Mokuba." Kaiba halted his movements and set down his utensils to look across the table at Mokuba.

"You really _don't_ like her." Mokuba said, looking down, his bangs covering his eyes. "What's happened to you Seto?"

"Mokuba, this is not the time or place." Kaiba scolded, trying to keep his voice low.

"You've become so detached. You haven't been like this since--"

"That's enough Mokuba." Kaiba snapped, drawing a few pairs of eyes to their table.

"Ever since Kari came you've been ignoring me. Why do you hate her so much?" Mokuba clenched the material of his pants, his shoulders tucking in. Kaiba cursed under his breath and took a pen out of his pocket. He quickly wrote a _bill to room 534_ note before standing up and walking across to Mokuba.

"Let's go." He said, a little less roughly and took Mokuba by the arm. Mokuba let his brother help him out of his seat and lead him out of the restaurant, causing whispering comments to spread about and even more eyes to follow them.

A few minutes later Kaiba had entered the hotel lobby, Mokuba still in his grasp. They passed the lady at the counter, once again ignoring her _welcome back_ and heading to the elevator. Seconds after Kaiba had pressed the up arrow button, the elevator doors opened and Kaiba urged Mokuba forward with his hand on the young boy's right shoulder. It was quiet as the doors closed and Kaiba pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Mokuba looked up at his older brother, his blue eyes filled with sadness. "Seto-"

"We'll talk once we get to your room." Kaiba interrupted. Mokuba nodded and moments later the elevator dinged and opened its doors.

* * *

Kariana fell back onto her bed with a sigh, dressed in navy blue shorts and a white tank top. Her eyes were closed as she enjoyed the feel of a soft mattress beneath her body and her wet hair spread out around her. _'I've missed normal beds so much.'_ She thought, reaching her arms above her head and stretching. She snapped her eyes open as she realized something. _'I haven't called Joey yet…'_ she thought, rolling over on her stomach and crawling to the left side of her bed. She hung over the edge and grabbed her small backpack and began rustling through it. She had put the paper in it when they were on the plane because she didn't trust herself to keep it safe in her pants pocket.

After successfully finding it she let her bag fall to the ground and scooted back onto the bed, unfolding the paper. She reached for the phone and brought it to rest on the bed in front of her. Picking up the receiver and resting it in the crook of her shoulder, she punched in the numbers with one hand as she held the paper with the other. Three rings later the familiar voice of her blonde haired goofy friend, who could only be Joey, picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Joey. It's Kariana." Kariana said with a smile.

_"Kari?"_ he sounded surprised, _"That really you?"_

"Yup."

_"Wow, its great ta hear from ya…But uh, ya know it's almost 'leven, why are ya callin' so late? Are you alright? You're not hurt are you? Cause if ya are I can-"_

"No, no! I'm fine Joey, really. I'm okay. I just didn't realize what time it was there." Kariana chuckled.

_"Huh? What do ya mean by 'there', Kari? …Did you go somewhere?"_

_'Oops.'_ Kariana thought. "Umm, yeah…" she paused, "I'm in Okinawa right now."

_"You are?? What the heck are ya doin' there?"_

"Well, it's Mokuba's birthday on Monday so Kaiba was taking him to Okinawa and I-"

_"Wait…you're there…with __**Kaiba**__?"_ Joey asked, sounding a bit irritated.

"Umm, yeah…Mokuba invited me so I came along." She paused, "Are you okay Joey?"

_"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah…I'm fine." _He paused, _"Did you listen to my messages?"_

"Only the first two, I was in a rush…Did you leave all eight?" she asked, twirling the phone cord around her right index finger.

_"Yeah…But you can just erase them when you get back…When __**are**__ you coming back?"_

"Monday I think. But I'm not to sure." She replied, letting the cord unravel from her finger. "I'll call you tomorrow and let you know, okay?"

_"Alright…So I guess good night then?" _Joey asked in a crestfallen voice Kariana could detect.

"Yeah. There's no telling how early I'll be forced to wake up." She joked.

_"Right…Just be careful Kari. Don't lettim push ya around."_

"You know me Joey."

_"That's why I said that."_ He joked back, sounding a bit happier.

"Hey! That's mean, Jo." Kariana grinned. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night Joey."

_"G'night Kari."_

There was a click and a dial tone as Joey hung up on the other line and Kariana set the phone back in its cradle.

* * *

It was late into the night when Seto Kaiba slid the card key into its slot only to have the light flash red. He cursed under his breath, his brown hair a muss and the sleeves to his white shirt rolled up. He slid the card again and again but came up with the same result and it only angered him more. He jiggled the handle up and down and hit the door with his fist in frustration. It had been a little over four hours ago when Mokuba had admitted the thoughts that had plagued him and the hurt and neglected emotions he had been feeling towards his older brother. Kaiba had taken it well when he sat and listened but once he left he headed straight to the bar where he had sat drinking for the past four hours. The stressed out and aggravated CEO rested his forehead against the door, ceasing his fight with the lock but only after having made plenty of noise.

"Kaiba?" Kariana said in a hushed voice, poking her head out of her door. Kaiba turned his face in her direction, his eyes half open and slightly glazed over.

"What?" he hissed with a disgruntled look. Kariana paused, looking plainly at him before stepping out of her room and walking over to him.

"Where's your key?" she asked as he glared daggers at her.

"I don need yer help." He insisted, and pulled back from the door and attempted the lock again but his unstable movements made it near impossible.

"Here." She said and snatched it out of his hands. Kaiba stumbled back a bit and before he could interject she unlocked his door and opened it. "You can use my shoulder if you need to." She offered but he just scoffed and tried using the wall and doorframe to keep himself up as he entered his room.

"I said I don need yer help." He repeated groggily. Kariana sighed, flipping on the light switch as she watched him wobble in and then followed behind him. Kaiba slid his left hand along the wall for support but once the wall had reached its end he fell forward. Kariana reached for him and caught him by his arms.

"I think you do." She said and pulled him up where his right arm hung over her shoulders and her arm was around his waist. Kaiba, too tired and already half unconscious, gave up his fight against her and let her lead him to his bed where she slowly eased him down. "I'll be right back, _don't move_." She joked as she went into the bathroom.

"Very funny." Kaiba scoffed, covering his face with his left hand. There was the sound of rushing water from the faucet and moments later Kariana came back with a glass of water in her left hand and some pills in the other. "Sit up and take these." She said, handing him the pills. Kaiba wretched them from her hand and before she could give him the water he had swallowed them. Kariana hesitated before she set the water on the small table beside the bed along with a few more pills. "I'm leaving some more on the table for when you wake up. Make sure you drink enough water and get some sleep." She told him in a calm firm tone she had never used with him before. "If you don't you'll be regretting it in the morning- but I'm sure you already knew that." She added as she walked to the edge of his bed where she started to remove his shoes.

"How do you…know what t' do?" Kaiba asked with his eyes closed. Kariana stopped with his right shoe in her hand, hesitating before she responded.

"My father…" she paused, dropping his shoe to the ground, "I had to take care of him whenever he _got like this_."

"You mean…when he was drunk?" Kaiba said, replacing her _safe words._

"…Yes…" she took off his left shoe and seconds later it joined the right one on the floor, "My father's not the most pleasant man- he's a horrible drunk. There were nights he'd come home depressed and I'd lug him to his bed and there were nights where…" she paused, looking down at Kaiba's eyes, surprised at their soft blue color, "He'd be in a fit of rage."

"Why're you…tellin' me this?" Kaiba asked looking strangely at her.

"Maybe because you're less of a threat to me right now and I know you're more than likely not going to remember this when you wake up." She said with a smile Kaiba thought seemed almost too cheerful.

"What if I do?" he asked, closing his eyes and sinking back into the pillows. Whatever she had given him had started to kick in, that or he was finely just worn out. He thought it might be a combination of the two.

"If you remember?" Kariana paused, pushing back a strand of her hair behind her right ear. "I guess it'd just be something you'd have to live with."

Kaiba chuckled in a way that sounded more like a scoff. "I guess so."

"I'll be waking you up before Mokuba so you have a chance to recoup yourself. So_ go to sleep._" She demanded with a nurturing tone and walked towards the door. "Good night Mr. Kaiba." She flipped the light switch off and once she closed the door the room became nothing but shadows.

* * *

It sounded like a piercing scream in his head as it came again and again, as if they were purposely trying to cause his eardrums to bleed. But he knew better. Seto Kaiba rolled over and reached for the phone at seven thirty am Sunday morning. He fumbled for the receiver and once he had it in his grasp put it up to his ear and answered with a groggy _hello_.

_"Good morning Mister Kaiba. This is the wake up call that-"_

Before the woman could finish Kaiba dropped the phone back into its cradle and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. He looked over at the clock, running his hand through his hair and noted that it was indeed seven thirty in the morning but couldn't remember ever asking for a wake up call. His eyes then fell onto the glass of water and pills setting beside it. Vague memories of last night popped up in his head and although he couldn't remember them clearly he could still recall what had happened. He snatched up the pills and popped them into his mouth before attempting to stand on his feet. He wobbled a bit but all in all he was alright. His headache wasn't too bad and his senses seemed to be decent enough for him to be able to make his way to the bathroom so he could take a shower.

* * *

It was a little after eight and Kariana had already taken Mokuba down for the complimentary breakfast. They sat at a small table, sitting across from each other, that was a bit more secluded from the other guests.

"Is it good?" Kariana asked Mokuba as he ate at a plate of waffles smothered in butter and syrup. Mokuba nodded, unable to reply any other way due to the fluffy goodness that filled his mouth. Kariana chuckled, slowly picking at the blueberry muffin that sat in front of her. _'Where is he?'_ she thought, breaking off a piece of the top of her muffin and eating it, _'I had a wake up call for him at seven thirty. Does he really take this long to get ready?'_

"Started without me I see." Kaiba said, standing in front of their table dressed in the usual black slacks but this time he wore a light blue button up shirt that he left untucked with the sleeves rolled up. The change of wardrobe surprised Kariana; she had never seen him so _dressed down_.

_'He looks…'_ she paused in her thoughts, _'Really nice.'_

"Morning Seto." Mokuba greeted solemnly. He was feeling bad about last night and how he might have upset his brother.

"Oh, um, good morning." Kariana smiled after gathering her wits. Kaiba pulled out the other chair and sat between them. "You look…different." She commented, causing Kaiba to raise an eyebrow in question. "B-but not in a bad way!" she exclaimed nervously, "I meant it in a good way. I've just never seen you dressed down like that."

Kaiba just stared at her until she went silently back to her muffin. He turned to Mokuba as Kariana plucked at the remains of her muffin. "Where would you like to go today?" he asked Mokuba.

"Don't you have something planned, Seto?" Mokuba asked, only a few bits of his waffle left on his plate.

"I thought I'd leave that up to you." Kaiba replied, leaning his elbows on the table and resting his chin on his folded hands. Mokuba smiled, feeling a bit better now that Kaiba seemed to be alright.

"Can we go to the beach?" Mokuba asked cheerfully.

Kaiba nodded. "We'll go this afternoon. Where else do you want to go?" he asked. Kariana watched happily. She could tell the atmosphere around the two brothers was slowly getting better. She was glad to see them conversing and that Kaiba was letting Mokuba make the decisions.

"Where do you want to go, Kari?" Mokuba asked her.

"What?" she said in surprise. "Oh, I don't think I should-"

"Just answer him Ushimato." Kaiba interjected, a look in his eyes that told her it was alright. Kariana flustered, now embarrassed that she was put on the spot. She didn't like intruding and that was how she felt when Mokuba asked her what she wanted and even more so when Kaiba basically told her it was alright.

"Um, well, I need to buy a swimsuit…" she admitted. She had realized the previous night that in her rush to get ready Saturday morning she had forgotten to pack a swimsuit. In a sense she was glad because the only one she had was the one she had used for gym during High school.

"Then we can go to the mall, right Seto?" Mokuba asked, looking over at his brother.

"There's the Ashibinaa outlet mall." Kaiba said, "We can go whenever you're ready."

"Don't you mean whenever _you're_ ready, Seto?" Mokuba asked. Kaiba looked oddly at Mokuba, not sure by what he meant.

"You haven't eaten." Kariana answered, standing up. "I'll go get you something." She added and left before Kaiba could reject her offer. Kaiba let out an irritated sigh.

"She's only trying to be nice." Mokuba said, taking another bite of what was left of his waffle.

"She doesn't need to be." Kaiba stated as Kariana talked with one of the men behind the counter, holding her right index finger up to her mouth as she tried to think of what to get. She didn't ask Kaiba because she knew he would've denied anything if she hadn't just offered and escaped.

"Thank you." Kariana smiled at the man, taking the plate from him and heading back over to the table. _'I can't do much,'_ Kariana thought as she set the plate in front of Kaiba with a bright smile, _'But I'll do whatever I can to show him my thanks.'_

* * *

Stephan: I wrote more about this than I thought I would…So I'll definitely write about the mall and beach in the next chapter. I promise it'll be a good read :)


	14. Time to Relax

Stephan: Well here we are! Part 14! Holy crap…this story will probably go pretty far into the twenties or _maybe_ thirties, haha -' I hope you guys can tolerate me for that long :p I absolutely love this chapter by the way! I hope you do to!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the Ashibinaa mall; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters-which has not happened and I'm not sure it will- are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Part 14: Time to Relax

"She's taking a long time…" Mokuba said with concern as he stood outside the dressing room in one of the clothing stores at the Ashibinaa mall.

"She's fine." Kaiba stated, sitting in a chair with his legs and arms crossed. "Time is not of the essence when it comes to women and shopping." Mokuba tilted his head at his brother, not completely understanding what he meant. Girls were still an unknown thing to the younger Kaiba brother.

* * *

"Ooh," Kariana groaned as she looked at herself in the mirror; she wore a yellow one piece, strapless bathing suit with a short skirt attached. "Nothing works…" she sighed heavily, tilting her head down in failure, "It's all too _expensive_." She added as a knock came at her dressing room door. She turned her head and before she could say anything Mokuba spoke.

_"Kari? Are you okay?"_ he asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, "But…I can't find anything I like," she paused and turned her face to the side, lowering her voice and adding, "_In my price range_."

"Oh…Seto and I will find you something!" Mokuba exclaimed, causing Kariana to snap her head up in surprise at the exact same time Kaiba did- but neither would know the other's reaction had been the same. Mokuba looked sheepishly at his brother and mouthed the words '_Please Seto'_ at him. Kaiba sighed, standing to his feet.

"Uh, y-you guys don't have to do that!" Kariana said, pressing her hands and forearms up against the door.

_"We'll be right back!"_ Mokuba said from the other side.

"W-wait! You don't have to--" she paused, pressing her ear against the door but heard nothing, "M-mokuba??" she called but received no response. "Ooh," she whined, sliding down to her knees, "I'm so hopeless."

* * *

A few minutes later a few bathing suits were tossed over the dressing room door. "Huh?" Kariana looked up, catching a few as one fell onto her face. She peeled what was a green and blue one piece off her face and tossed the bathing suits into the pile of suits she had already tried on. "This is going to be hard." She pouted with her hands on her hips.

* * *

"So what'd you get?" Mokuba asked excitedly as the three of them walked out of the store, Kaiba following just a few feet behind.

"I'm not telling." She smiled, sticking her tongue out at the raven haired pre-teen.

"Aww, why not? Seto and I helped!" Mokuba complained with puppy dog eyes.

"Because," Kariana grinned, "It's a secret." She said, holding up her index finger in a matter of factly way.

"Fine," Mokuba pouted, "So where to now?" he asked.

"Hmm," Kariana looked back at Kaiba and smiled, causing Kaiba to quirk an eyebrow at her. "It looks like your brother could use some caffeine." Kariana stated and Kaiba just rolled his eyes at her while Mokuba laughed. "How about we get something at Sunbucks?"

((Stephan: I just made that up…kind of like how they change the name of McDonalds in animes.))

"Is that okay, Seto?" Mokuba asked, looking back at his brother. Kaiba only shrugged; he had nothing against it and in fact he really did want to get some coffee.

"Then to Sunbucks it is!" Kariana cheered and led them to the Sunbucks within the mall, a trusty map in her hands and her shopping bag on her right arm.

* * *

"He's not going to be bouncing off of anything is he?" Kariana asked Kaiba as they walked around the mall, Mokuba leading the two teenagers and happily sipping a frozen chocolate mocha.

"Sugar isn't a problem." Kaiba informed her, holding a Styrofoam cup of coffee in his hands.

"Oh," Kariana paused, stirring the contents of her beverage- a frozen mocha with caramel and whipped cream -with the straw. "Then what is? I mean, if there is anything." Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her. Her attempt at starting a conversation was horrendous and his expression was enough to let her know it.

"I've never had problems with Mokuba." He said as his eyes followed his brother go from one window to the next as he quickly examined the items in the displays.

"You can't really say _never_…can you?" she said in question form so as to not cross any _boundaries_. Kaiba glanced at her, hesitating before he responded.

"There have been moments…" he said honestly. Kariana sighed causing him to look at her. "What?" he asked.

"You're really gonna make this hard for me, huh?" she said with a half smile but Kaiba only continued to stare blankly at her. "I just can't seem to figure you out." She admitted, "How do I get _the_ Seto Kaiba to have a decent conversation with me?" She looked up at him but when she didn't receive a response she felt embarrassed and looked down into her drink. "Sorry." She apologized.

"Hn." Kaiba smirked, amused at her reaction. "You're not the only one in that boat." He said. Kariana looked up at him funny but he didn't say anything else.

"You're so vague." She finally said and sighed.

"Seto!" Mokuba called, running up to them; he had gotten ahead and actually had to find his way back to them.

"What is it Mokuba?" Kaiba asked his younger brother, stopping so they could talk.

"Can we go to the beach now?" Mokuba asked with bright blue eyes. Kaiba pulled out his phone and looked at the time; it was a quarter past one.

"Alright, I'll call for the limo." He said and flipped open his phone, pressing one of the speed dial numbers and then held the phone up to his ear.

"You'll really like the beach Kari!" Mokuba reassured her as they started to walk towards the front of the mall. "You've never been to a beach, right?"

"No, I haven't. But I'm glad to share my first trip with you, Mokuba." She said with a smile.

"Me too." Mokuba agreed, all the while Kaiba talked with the driver on the phone as he followed behind them.

* * *

It was a brilliantly sunny day and the green shine on the ocean water shone with such exuberance the beach could hardly compare even with its own unique beauty that could only pertain to Okinawa.

"Come one Seto, Kari!" Mokuba grinned as he ran onto the beach wearing red swimming trunks with white outlines; he had already removed off his shirt.

"I'm just gonna set up a place for us." Kari said as she tried her best to lug a cooler and oversized umbrella as well as a bag that contained sunscreen and other miscellaneous items. She wore black shorts and a white tank top, commonly known as a _wife beater_, with white flip flops and sunglasses perched on top of her head. Earlier, when they were gathering the stuff to take with them, Kaiba was going to prepare to have someone carry there things but Kariana had insisted she do it for them. Much to Kaiba's and Mokuba's dislike, she had won the argument and now she was regretting it.

"You're hopeless, Ushimato." Kaiba scoffed as he took the umbrella and cooler away from her with such ease it shocked Kariana. He was wearing plain black trunks and a white T-shirt.

"Oh! Y-you don't have to--" she tried to speak up but the CEO wouldn't let her finish.

"I can't stand watching you struggle with carrying an _umbrella_." He said in a way that made her sound and feel like she was just a weak little girl and caused her to blush in embarrassment.

_'But I __**want**__ to help…'_ she thought, eyeing the ground and hugging the bag to her chest.

"Seto, will you make a sand castle with me?" Mokuba asked his older brother. Kaiba looked up from just sticking the umbrella in the ground and before he could respond Kariana interrupted.

"You two should put on some sunscreen first." Kariana said as she pulled out the spray-on sunscreen.

"Okay," Mokuba sighed; he was feeling impatient and didn't want to waste any time on the beach while they were there. "And then we can build a sand castle, right?" He asked.

"Of course." Kariana smiled, "Now get over here so I can spray you down." She said and Mokuba skipped over. He thrust his arms out and within moments Mokuba had been sprayed from head to toe.

"I'm gonna go find a spot!" he said and bolted off. "Don't forget to spray Seto, Kari!" he added with a wide grin. Kariana blushed a light pink and just as Kaiba took one step away from their setup she stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked him, "You heard Mokuba; you're not going anywhere without sunscreen." She declared, something Kaiba hadn't expected from her and frankly she didn't expect from herself.

"Oh, I'm not?" he said in what she hoped was a teasing manner and not an upset one.

_'It's kind of hard to tell when he's being sarcastic…'_ she thought, "N-no." she stuttered, "I haven't made you beach ready yet." She said, hoping that would lighten any _heaviness _to their atmosphere. But Kaiba only stood silently without any movement, making Kariana uneasy. Kaiba chuckled; he could easily read how nervous she was.

"Fine." He said with a smirk and walked over and stood there facing her.

"Could you spread out your arms…please?" she asked and he responded by sticking them out like she asked. She started at his left wrist and followed up to right where his sleeve ended then did the same on his right arm. "Umm…Are you going to wear that the entire time?" she asked, pointing at his shirt.

"Are you going to where that the entire time?" he asked back, nodding at her shorts and tank top.

Kariana blushed. "D-does it matter?" she asked.

"Does it?" he asked back. Kariana flustered and instead of replying she crouched down and sprayed his shins. Kaiba continued to have a smirk on his face as Kariana walked behind him and sprayed his neck and then crouched to get his calves. He wouldn't admit it openly but he was enjoying teasing her.

_'He always does that!'_ she thought as she crouched down and sprayed his left calf. _'He's always making fun of me…'_ she thought and as she sprayed his right she found her eyes slowly making their way up. She blushed as she caught herself staring at his butt. _'I hope no one saw me looking…'_ she thought, blushing madly and looking around with her eyes.

"There, all done." Kariana said with a smile as she stood up.

"And what about you, Ushimato?" Kaiba asked as he turned around to look at her.

"W-wha?" she stuttered, "I…well…I don't actually burn…" she said, nervous at the thought of Kaiba spraying sun screen on her; not that he had really offered.

"If you say so, Ushimato." He said and walked off to find Mokuba without thanking her.

_'He just doesn't stop!'_ she thought as she stood under the umbrella, holding her left arm with her right hand. She looked down at her outfit and sighed. She wore her bathing suit underneath but she was too afraid to take off her shorts and shirt. It wasn't that she looked bad, she actually had a pretty fast metabolism so she wasn't fat or anything; she was just as self-conscious of herself as any other teenaged girl would be. _'Maybe I __**should**__ take them off…'_

"Kari! Kari!" Mokuba yelled as he came running up to the umbrella. "You _have_ to come see what Seto did!" he stopped and blinked a few times at the person lying on their stomach on the towel before him. "Kari?"

"Hmm?" Kari looked up sleepily from her towel on the ground. "Oh, hi Mokuba, what's up?" she yawned as she sat up, wearing an ocean blue two piece; the top was strapless with a grey ribbon lining on the top and bottom and a small bow on the left top side and the bottoms had the same lining on top only with a bigger bow on each hip.

"Wow." Mokuba gawked, more surprised to see her out of her other clothes than anything. "It looks nice, Kari." He smiled, _'That's the one Seto found!'_ he cheered in his head but decided he would tell her that later.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she looked down at herself before smiling up at him. "Thanks…So what were you saying about your brother?" she asked as she tried straightening out her long auburn hair with her fingers.

"Oh! Seto made something really cool! You have to see it Kari!" he said with a wide grin. _'She'll be so impressed!'_ he thought gleefully.

"Alright." Kari stretched before standing up, "Lead me to him." She said and followed Mokuba to a place that was a bit farther away than she thought it would be.

"Just look at it, Kari!" Mokuba said as he pointed at the _sand castle_ Kaiba had made- of which he stood proudly by.

"Damn." She gasped, staring at was a three foot tall replica of the Kaiba Corp building. "Er, I mean _crap_. I meant to say…crap." She corrected herself but was blown away by the sand building. "That's really good." She said and smiled up at Kaiba. But he seemed distracted by something else. "W-what is it?" she asked as he stared at her.

"You have more guts than I thought you did." He said and once she finally realized what he was talking about she blushed three shades of red.

"Yeah well…it was hot." She said, trying to make up an excuse.

"Will you come swim with me now Kari?" Mokuba asked.

"Oh, I don't know…" she said hesitantly.

"Pleeeease?" he begged, dragging out the vowel sound and looking at her with big blue eyes. "And you too Seto?" Mokuba said and turned the look onto his brother.

"It's fine with me." Kaiba said with a shrug. Mokuba turned the look back onto to Kariana.

"How can I say _no_ to that face?" she laughed and she and Kaiba walked behind Mokuba as he rushed into the water laughing.

"Come on!" Mokuba grinned, his black hair plastered to his head.

"As much as I love water I only like it once I'm in it; getting in is the part I don't like." Kariana admitted, "So I'm kind of hard to get in."

"I bet Seto could get you!" Mokuba said as he treaded water.

"Don't say things like that Mokuba." Kariana laughed, waving it off with her hand, "It really is hard to get me in. Besides, that just wouldn't be like him."

"Hmph, we'll see." Kaiba said with a smirk.

"Huh? What do you me-AN!" Kariana's voice rose as she was picked up and within a few steps she was tossed into the water to join Mokuba. Kaiba had made sure he didn't give her an inkling of a chance to fight back. Kariana popped up from the water, gasping for air.

"That was cruel!!" she exclaimed as Kaiba stood on the shore, arms crossed with a satisfied smirk on his face while Mokuba laughed behind her. "I'll get you for that Seto Kaiba!" she pouted and trudged out of the water, looking like an angry wet kitten.

"And just what are you going to do?" Kaiba said, obviously unafraid.

"I'm gonna get you back, that's what." Kariana huffed and snatched his wrists. Kaiba chuckled as she tried to pull him but she couldn't make him budge even an inch. Mokuba watched from the water, his eyes shinning in the sun light.

_'Yes!'_ he thought joyously. Kariana let out a yelp as she was once again tossed into the water. This time however she popped up near Mokuba and spewed sea water out of her mouth.

"Okay, Mokuba. I've got a plan." She said and the whispered things into his ear. Kaiba watched them whisper back and forth well aware of what they were doing. Normally this sort of thing would not entertain him but there was a part of him that was finally starting to relax, that liked this time off from his work.

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow when a bright look lit up Mokuba's face and he suddenly dove straight down into the water. For the few seconds the raven haired boy was submersed Kaiba felt uneasy. The moment he came up however a quiet relief swept over the older Kaiba brother.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed as he swam quickly towards the shore, something in his hand that Kaiba couldn't quite make out. "Look at what I found Seto!" Mokuba grinned as he rose up out of the water and once he was a few feet away Kaiba could see what Mokuba had found. "It's a starfish!" he said as he held the living sea creature up to his brother's face.

"I…can see that." Kaiba said, looking at it awkwardly. "And why did you decide to bring it here?" he asked.

"I caught a glimpse of it and I thought you might like it." Mokuba shrugged as he tried to keep an unsuspicious face but failed horribly. Kaiba looked past his younger brother but as he searched the water with his eyes he couldn't find Kariana anywhere.

Kaiba looked back down at Mokuba. "Mokuba, where is--"

"Now Mokuba!" Kariana yelled from behind Kaiba and before he could turn around Mokuba had dropped the starfish and grabbed him by the arms, pulling him forward and setting him off balance while Kariana rushed him from behind. A few stumbles and a yelp or two later all three were sprawled out on the ground. Needless to say there were no splashes for they were still on the shore.

"Aww." Mokuba whined, pouting at his and Kariana's failure. "That's not fair Seto." He complained, remaining on his back while Kariana and Kaiba sat themselves up. Kaiba grimaced, rubbing his head.

"You're not hurt are you?" Kariana asked, sitting criss-crossed on the sand next to Kaiba. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to--"

"I'm fine." Kaiba huffed, leaning forward and resting an arm on each bent knee, his feet slightly dug into the sand. "But you failed _again_, Ushimato." He said with a smirk.

Kariana gave a pouty defeated look, "Well, it's not entirely--"

There was a loud crash as a _huge _wave washed over them and hit the shore, dragging them out a few yards into the water. Kariana was the first to come up, gasping for air. She looked around frantically and was relieved to see Kaiba pop up a few feet in front of her. His hair was a darker shade of brown and his chest could be seen through his white T-shirt.

She blushed as she caught herself staring again. "Are you alright?" she asked as she waded over to him.

"Where's Mokuba?" Kaiba asked, blowing off her question as he looked around for his younger brother.

"I-I don't know," Kariana replied, worried as well as she looked around.

A few yards off into the water Mokuba struggled with a patch of seaweed as it tangled around his left leg. He kicked hard with his right leg and tried to swim up but it would not let him free. He panicked as he reached the time limit for how long he could hold his breath, bubbles escaping his nose.

* * *

Stephan: I know this probably seems a bit melodramatic but I'm trying real hard to show more Seto with Kariana and Mokuba is what's obviously going to bring them together, so I'm sorry if this idea bothers you or you don't understand its purpose. But thank you for reading and reviewing!!


	15. Happy Birthday Mokuba

Stephan: Originally I was gonna put the beginning of this at the end of the last chapter but at the last minute I had changed my mind - So forgive me for the cliff hanger. I got back from a JROTC camp- rafting down the Illinois River (the third time this summer for me!). I am truly sorry for the delay!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the Ashibinaa mall; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters-which has not happened and I'm not sure it will- are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM

after you!

Part 15: Happy Birthday Mokuba

"I'll go get a life guard!" Kariana told Kaiba before she swam towards the shore.

"They're not going to be able to help." Kaiba spat and then dunked down into the water. He swam a few feet before his eyes adjusted. It didn't take him long before he spotted Mokuba off in the distance. _'Shit.'_ Kaiba thought as he saw Mokuba floating motionless in the water with his leg attached to seaweed. He swam quickly and within a few strokes and kicks he was there and working the seaweed off his younger brother's leg.

"They were just here." Kariana tried to explain to the life guard so he could help but he was doing no such thing.

"Look, I don't see _anyone_." The guy, probably in his early twenties, sighed.

"That's because they're in the water!" Kariana said, feeling panic stricken and frustrated that he wasn't helping. The guy paused and looked her up and down and studied her face.

A wide grin spread onto his face. "Ya know, if ya wanted my number you only had to ask.--"

"That's not what this is about!!" Kariana yelled, her cheeks reddening from anger and embarrassment. The life guard rolled his eyes, still not believing her. Seeing something out of the corner of his eye, he turned and looked at the water as did Kariana.

"What the hell?" the life guard was taken back as Kaiba pulled Mokuba up to the shore.

"Mokuba!!" Kariana cried out and rushed to them, the life guard following behind her. "Mokuba!" Kariana dropped down to her knees as Kaiba laid his brother onto the sand.

"Move aside!" the life guard said, "I know CPR."

"Don't touch him!" Kariana snapped, her green eyes narrowed into a glare that could easily be on par with Kaiba's. The life guard stumbling back in shock at the hard look that replaced her normal sweet face. Kaiba had already started pressing his hands onto his brother's stomach, counting it out quietly to himself. Kariana and the life guard watched in horror as Mokuba wasn't coming through. "Mokuba…" Kariana whispered, feeling tears sting her eyes. She dug her fists into the sand and leaned over, her wet hair falling over her face. At this time the life guard made his escape.

At the sound of coughing Kariana's head snapped up to see water splash out of Mokuba's mouth. Her eyes widened in shock but then her look softened with a sad but happy smile on her face. "S-seto?" Mokuba called out as he opened his eyes to see the ice blue orbs, which could only belong to his brother, looking down at him. Mokuba's eyes filled with tears as he lurched forward and wrapped his arms tight around his brother. "Seto!!" he sobbed as Kaiba held onto him. Kaiba pressed his face against the side of Mokuba's head as he buried his face into his older brother's wet shirt.

"Mokuba." Kariana smiled, watching the two of them in a way she had only seen once before but even it could not compare to the emotion they shared now. Mokuba looked up and turned to see the look in Kariana's eyes. He turned back to his brother and looked at him a way and Kaiba understood without any words. Kaiba released his younger brother from the embrace and Mokuba threw his arms around Kariana's neck. Kariana quickly embraced him in return, the side of her face pressed into his right shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Kariana said quietly but loud enough for the three of them to hear. Kaiba looked at his younger brother in the arms of Kariana and although Mokuba was safe there was a certain look still in his eyes; a look that was sad but not sad, happy but not happy.

"Let's go home." Kaiba said, and Kariana nodded silently. Kaiba stood up and Kariana and Mokuba rose to their feet with small sad smiles on their faces.

* * *

"Yeah, we're heading home now." Kariana said into the phone as she stood in her hotel room. "We should be back by twelve."

_"So everything's alright?"_ Joey asked from the other end.

"Of course. We just decided to come back early so Mokuba can be at school tomorrow." Kariana said, wearing a fake smile even though there was no one to see it.

_"…Okay, do ya want me to pick ya up? Cause I can if ya need me…"_

"I'll be fine. I'm sure Kaiba will drop me off." Kariana replied, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes.

_"Alright…So twelve, right?"_ Joey asked.

"Yup." Kariana said with an audible sigh. "I'll talk to you later, Jo. Bye."

_"Bye, Kari…" _Joey paused, _"Be safe."_

"I will." She said before walking over and putting the phone back in its cradle.

* * *

It was around eight o'clock when Kariana followed Mokuba up the steps to the plane. As she reached the top she turned back around and breathed in deeply, taking in her last moments of being in Okinawa. In just a few hours they would be back home, safe and sound. Once she had entered the plane the door was shut ever so quickly by none other than Kaiba himself. Kariana looked up at him a bit surprised.

"Go sit down." He said coolly, a headset hooked around his ears. Kariana only nodded as the elder Kaiba brother turned and stepped back into the cockpit. She took a seat on the couch she had sat in on the ride over and Mokuba lay curled up with his face toward the couch he had sat in before. There was a loud rumble as the engine of the plane started up and in a few minutes they were making their way down the run way.

_'Mokuba,'_ Kariana eyed the boy sadly. She wanted to touch him, to hold him and make all his pain go away. _'I don't know what he's thinking,'_ she thought as the plane elevated into the air, _'But I know he's not happy.'_ She looked up at the front where the _okay_ light flashed on; telling her it was alright to move around. _'He probably doesn't have the co-pilot on,'_ she thought before looking back at Mokuba. She sighed, standing up and walking across to the other couch.

Mokuba looked up as he felt the couch sink due to added pressure that could only be Kariana. His blue eyes met her green ones as she smiled down at him. "Wanna talk?" she asked. Mokuba paused before turning his head to where the left side of his face laid on the couch while he was on his back.

"It's my fault we had to leave." Mokuba said as he stared at the other couch. "If it weren't for me we could've stayed longer. Seto did all this for me and all I did was mess it up…"

"No," Kariana gazed sadly down at Mokuba, "No Mokuba, don't say that. It was an accident." Kariana tried to reassure him but Mokuba said nothing else. She placed her hand hesitantly on his head and ruffled his black hair a bit. "There are some things…we just can't control." She added softly.

* * *

Kariana's eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head from the top of the couch. She let out a quiet yawn before looking down at the watch on her left wrist. "Almost ten," she said aloud, "Twelve _technically_." She figured they were near Domino and that they were back in their original time zone. She looked over at Mokuba on her right and smiled; he was sleeping peacefully, the soft sound of his breathing being the only audible thing besides the humming of the plane engine. Making sure not to disturb the younger Kaiba's slumber Kariana stood up from the couch. Her eyes drifted over to the door that led into the cockpit and soon found her feet making their way there as well. As she stood in front of the door she raised her hand and before she could grasp the handle a soft _click_ emitted from the lock. She flinched back, closing her fingers and hesitating. After mentally debating with herself she slowly grasped the handle and opened the door.

The humming of the plane could be heard more clearly as she stepped inside the dark room, closing the door behind her. She gazed around at the hundreds of buttons and switches, almost overlooking the CEO that sat in the chair directly in front of her. "Have a seat." Kaiba told her, his voice oddly different from what she was use to. He sounded tired and calm and when she took the seat on the right of him she saw that his face looked just as he sounded. She turned forward in the swivel chair and her green eyes lit up as the city lights from below glowed in a florescent pattern.

"Mo--" Kariana started to speak but caught herself. _'I don't want to bring up Mokuba…'_ she thought. "Thank you for allowing me to come, Mr. Kaiba." She said in a formal manner.

"You can drop the _Mr_." Kaiba said blatantly without a hint of his normal sharpness.

_'He must be really tired,'_ Kariana thought, glancing over at him, "Oh, alright…" she paused, "So I was thinking of getting a cell phone." She stated, trying to make conversation but received no response from Kaiba, "I'm not entirely sure where I should go though."

Kaiba let out a breath of air. "If you want me to pay--"

"Oh, no, no, no!" she interjected with her hands up in front of her, "T-that's not what I meant!" she stuttered, looking over at him sheepishly and resting her hands back on her lap. "I was just wondering which company you think is best."

Kaiba flipped a gray switch overhead and then leaned back into his chair. "I don't really have an opinion." He said, crossing his ankles. Kariana watched him for a moment before facing forward again.

"Oh…alright. I guess I'll ask Tea or Joey later." she tilted her head back against the chair and closed her eyes. "So how much longer till we land?" she asked.

"About half an hour, forty five minutes at the most." Kaiba answered. When Kariana didn't respond Kaiba looked over at what seemed to be her sleeping form. "You're going to sleep up here?" he asked in a distasteful tone.

"No." she replied, eyes still closed. "I'm not sleeping; I'm just soaking up what's left of my _relaxation time_." A small smile spread on her lips, "You should try it sometime."

Kaiba smirked. "You obtain courage at the oddest moments, Ushimato."

"It's a weird habit of mine." She admitted, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling of the cockpit. "Even I don't understand it…But I guess that kind of makes sense."

Kaiba restrained a yawn, causing his face to scrunch up a bit. "I suppose."

* * *

Kariana opened the door to Mokuba's room and walked over to his bed, pulling back the sheets as Kaiba came in with a sleeping Mokuba in his arms. She stepped aside so Kaiba could lay Mokuba down, his head being the last thing to touch. Kariana slipped off his shoes before pulling the blankets over his small frame.

She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. "Happy birthday Mokuba." She whispered, ruffling his hair after she leaned back up and he rolled over on his side. The smile on her face disappeared when she turned around and met Kaiba's ice blue eyes. Her cheeks turned pink as she realized how she had just acted in front of him. "Umm, I'll pick Mokuba up after school."

"He won't be going to school today." Kaiba stated with his hands in the pockets of his slacks.

"Oh…Then when do you need me to be here?" she asked, shifting her feet as she looked at the top of his head, trying to avoid his eyes.

"I won't be going to the company today; you can have the day off if you want." He could tell she was avoiding looking him in the eye and even though he hated when people did that he decided he would let it go for now.

"Oh…" A feeling a disappointment crept into Kariana's stomach, "Then would it be alright if I bring by a gift for him later?" she asked, her eyes drifting down to his eyes but quickly going back to the top of his head. Her courage was gone and she hated it.

"It doesn't matter to me." He answered, "The car is waiting outside for you." He added, reminding her.

"Okay, I guess I'll get going then." She smiled weakly and walked to Mokuba's door. "Umm," she stopped and looked back at him before leaving, "Thank you…for everything, Kaiba." Her green eyes met his and for that split second she was not intimidated by the sharpness of their cold blue color. "Good night." She walked out, speeding up her walk slightly. For some reason she felt the need to _escape_ even thought she knew he wouldn't have replied to her.

* * *

With her bags in hand Kariana walked up to the small apartment complex, Kaiba's driver and car driving away behind her. The bell to the door dinged as Kariana entered but Mrs. Nakahara was not at the front desk this evening to greet her. _'It's nice to be…home'_ she thought, _'Home…this really is my new home.'_

There was a loud yawn and movement from the couch to her left. "Kari?" said the blonde haired goofball as he sat up from the couch, scratching his head.

"Joey?" Kariana said in astonishment, letting her bags fall to the ground. "What are you doing here?" she asked as her friend stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders.

"Waiting for you." He grinned, standing up.

"Joey," Kariana smiled meekly, "You didn't have to do this."

"Yeah, well I figured ya disserved a welcoming party…even though it only consists of one." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Here, let me help ya." He said as he picked up her bags.

"Thanks Jo." She smiled and led him down the hall and up the stairs until they reached her floor.

"So how was the trip?" Joey asked as Kariana fiddled with the lock.

"Good." She replied as the lock _clicked_ and she opened the door. "I had never been outside of Domino so it was definitely… _different_."

"I bet." Joey said as he followed in after her.

"You can just set them down over there." Kariana informed him, pointing over at her bedroom door; the second door on the left wall. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen area and opened the fridge. "Milk, tea, bread…" she rattled off the various items in her fridge as Joey set down the bags.

"Tea is fine." He replied.

"Okay." She reached in and pulled out a jug of tea and closed the fridge door. She set the tea on the counter as she searched her cabinets for two cups.

"How come ya haven't added anythin'?" Joey asked, looking around the living/dining room with his hands in his jean pockets.

"I've been putting most of my money into a savings account; it's kind of my back up plan in case something happens." She set two tan glass cups on the counter and began pouring tea into them.

"You plan on havin' ta go to the hospital or somethin'?" he joked.

"Not exactly." She laughed, walking over to him with a glass in each hand. "Here." She handed one of the glasses out to him.

"Thanks." Joey took the tea from her with his trademark grin.

"You're welcome." She smiled back and sat down at the short table in the center of the room. Joey followed her lead and sat down on the floor next to her.

"So what did you do there?" Joey asked as Kariana took a sip of tea.

"We went to an aquarium and ate nice food," she paused, taking another sip, "I bought a bathing suit at the mall and then we went to the beach."

"You sure know how to make somethin' sound exciting." Joey said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Kariana pouted, lightly hitting him on the shoulder when he laughed.

"I'm only jokin', Kari…Well, kinda." He grinned.

It was her turn to be sarcastic now. "Well aren't _you _sweet."

"An eye for an eye, huh?" Joey sipped his tea.

"Did you really expect to get away with teasing me like that?" she huffed.

"You let Kaiba." Joey stated, holding the glass up to his lips, his elbows propped up on the table as he faced forward. Kariana froze with a look of hurt and confusion in her eyes.

"What?" she finally said, "Joey, you've never seen me with him." She set her cup down on the table. His change of tone was unusual and something she didn't like.

For whatever reason Joey had lost the cheer in his attitude. "I don't have ta. I know him Kari and I definitely know you. He's the type of guy that'll push ya around and you'll let him; just like yer fath--"

"Don't!" Kariana snapped, slamming her left hand down on the table - causing a loud boom to echo through the wood - and kneeling toward him with her left leg up and resting on her right. "Don't ever say that to me!" she bit down on her lower lip, her eyebrows crossed and her chin tucked toward her left shoulder. Joey had flinched at her outburst, his eyes wide. It was amazing how just a few words could change a person's feelings. "You have no right to make that kind of judgment." She said into her shoulder. "You don't know Kaiba and you definitely don't know my father."

A sense of guilt hit Joey in the chest. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings but he still felt what he said was true and he wasn't changing his mind about it. "Maybe not…But I know what he's done ta ya and I know how he's treated ya. He's cold and manipulative…and so is Kaiba."

"Just stop it." Kariana shook her head, standing up with tears in her eyes.

"No Kari." Joey rose up on his knees and snatched her by the wrist. In one sudden movement that consisted of a simple tug, Kariana was pulled down into his arms. Her eyes widened as chills shot up her back. "I don want ya ta get hurt any more than ya already are." He said into her hair, his left arm around her waist and the other crossing her back and clasping her right shoulder. "I only want ya ta be careful."

Her eyebrows crossed and as she closed her eyes tears flowed down her cheeks. _'Why does this upset me so much?'_ she thought as she gripped onto his T-shirt with her hands. _'Why do those words hurt so badly?'_ she buried her face into his chest.

"You promised." Kariana said into his chest, sounding hurt and bitter.

"I know, Kari. I'm sorry." Joey sighed, "I won't do it again."

Joey was like an older brother to Kariana and he always had been since they first became friends a year ago. She had always taken his words to heart but for the first time she didn't want to.

* * *

Stephan: As you can tell Kari has a lot of issues pertaining to her father and has yet to deal with them. She gets really upset when people she's told about her father bring it up without her consent and the fact Joey did it in the way he did made it worse. You'll find out more about her past later, I promise : )


	16. A Summer's Welcome

Stephan: You all won't believe what happened to me… Actually its really too long to put here. If you want to know (for whatever odd reason, j/k) just PM if you're curious.

Anyways, without further ado, what you've been waiting SO long for…

Part 16: A Summers Welcome

.:Friday, July 18:.

"So what do you have for homework?" Kariana asked Mokuba as they sat on the couch together. They had just gotten back from Mokuba's school and almost immediately Mokuba dumped out all his books and papers.

"Everything." Mokuba replied.

Kariana chuckled. "Summer vacation homework, huh?"

"Yeah." Mokuba sighed, opening his math textbook. "They said they don't want us forgetting what we learned so they gave us a lot of work to do."

"I remember that." Kariana said as she leaned over to look at the equations in the book. "I remember this too." She paused, looking over the numbers. "Well…maybe not the answer but it does look familiar!" she laughed, Mokuba smiling up at her as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"I have to do _exercises_ in Japanese and English." Mokuba said at the moment something on his bag caught Kariana's eye. "Math too." It was a small square glass keychain, about two inches tall and one and a half wide, which had Kaiba's face in it ((where you can have pictures put into glass by a laser)).

_'Mokuba's birthday was barely over a week ago.' _Kariana thought, _'I'm glad he liked his gift…'_ she smiled to herself, recalling the day she went over there.

* * *

"I just know he's going to love it." Kariana said aloud to herself as she exited the elevator to the apartment complex the Kaiba brothers lived in. "There's no way he won't like it." In her hands was a small, not even big enough to fill her right hand, box wrapped in blue paper with a gold bow on top. She reached the door, a smile on her face and knocked. There were a few seconds of silence before she knocked again…and then a third time. She cocked her head at the door in confusion. She tried the handle but had no luck. "Mokuba? …Kaiba?" she called, knocking once more. Yet again no response. "They're…not home." Kariana stood there baffled.

_'But…I __**told**__ him I'd come by…'_ she thought, remembering fair and well that she had informed Kaiba she would drop by. _'What am I thinking?'_ she sighed,_ 'Just because I told him doesn't mean they have to wait for me; of course they'd be out doing something. I'm just being silly to think they'd be here. It's Mokuba's birthday after all! …Well, they'll be back later anyways.'_ She bent down and set the gift down by the door. _'As long as Mokuba gets it, that's all that matters anyways.'_

* * *

"Kari? You okay?" Mokuba asked, leaning forward to be in her line of vision.

"Huh?" Kariana blinked a few times as she was brought back. "Oh, um, yeah. I'm good. Just zoning out is all." She smiled meekly.

"Oh…so do you think you could help me?" he asked.

"W-with what?" Kariana asked. _'Crap…I wasn't too good with school…except for--'_

"English." Mokuba answered.

_'Thank god.'_ Kariana thought with an inward sigh of relief. "Yeah. Of course." She smiled. "So what do you have to do?"

"Well," Mokuba pulled out a folder, taking out at least ten different pages. "A lot of it is grammar but I'm supposed to write three different reports and one of them has to be in English."

"No problem. My mom was an English Major; she really helped me whenever I had reports. She taught me better than the teacher did!" Kariana stated proudly. "So, where do you want to start?"

"Well, I don't really understand this right here." Mokuba said, pointing at a place around the middle of the page.

Kariana read over the lines before she spoke. "I can see why you need help. They're starting you out pretty hard. Alright, let's get started." She said as she picked up a pencil and started to write on a piece of paper as she explained.

* * *

"I understand that." Mokuba said, his empty dinner plate set aside. "Even though two words are spelt the same they can have different meanings."

"Right; like _two_, _to_ and _too_." Kariana said. Mokuba just stared blankly at her. "Well, _two_, _t-w-o_, is the number. _Too_, _t-o-o_, is like an excess of something. _To, t-o_, is an infinitive that comes before a verb; like _to_ be, or _to_ have "

"But that's three different words. I thought only two words can be spelt the same?" Mokuba asked with a pouty frown.

"Not in all cases." Kariana replied.

Mokuba sighed. "I don't like English. There are so many weird rules."

"You'll adjust." Kariana said as the front door opened. Mokuba turned with a big smile as his big brother entered the apartment.

"Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed, "You're home early!" It was ten at the time; early for Kaiba but late for Mokuba.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Kaiba stated more than asked as he closed the door and then took off his jacket, setting it the hook on the wall.

"Uhh," Mokuba smiled sheepishly up at his older brother. "I'll go get ready." Mokuba hopped off the couch and jogged off to his bedroom.

"We were just getting a head start on his summer vacation homework." Kariana replied just as Kaiba tossed something at her. "Erk!" Kariana fumbled the thing around before getting a solid hold on it. She stared oddly at the device in her hands. "A… cell phone?"

"In case I or Mokuba need to get a hold of you." Kaiba answered before Kariana could ask.

Kariana turned the silver Samsung over in hands; it was about the length of her palm. "O-oh…You didn't have to; I was going to buy--"

"It's cheaper this way." Kaiba interrupted, "Consider it something provided for you as part of your job."

"Oh," Kariana looked up and smiled at him, "Thank you, Kaiba." Kaiba stared down at her, his left hand in his pocket while he held his briefcase in his right.

"It's not a big deal." He replied, turning away and walking off towards the hall. "You're free to go."

Kariana watched his back and looked down at the phone once he was in his office. "It is to me…" she said quietly to herself.

* * *

.:Noon Saturday:.

"It's…So…Hot." Kariana groaned, staring up at her ceiling as she lay on her tatami mat. "Why is it so hot in here?" Kariana sighed, closing her eyes just as her home phone decided to ring. Her body lurched forward almost instinctively. The auburn tresses that were her hair fell over her nearly exposed chest in a sticky manner. She let out a groan as she rose to her feet and walked into the living room, readjusting her white spaghetti strap and blue Sofee shorts.

"Hello?" Kariana said as she picked up the phone, leaning onto her kitchen counter.

_"Miss Ushimato?"_ Mrs. Nakahara said from the other end.

"Oh, Mrs. Nakahara." Kariana said, sounding a bit surprised, "How are you?"

_"Oh I'm fine…" there was some silence, "Miss Ushimato, you wouldn't happen to be __**hot**__ are you?"_

Kariana paused, making a funny face, "Actually, it is pretty hot."

_"Oh shoot."_ Mrs. Nakahara huffed.

"Is something wrong?" Kariana asked, turning around and leaning against the counter.

_"I've had a few complaints about the heat on your floor so I think the Air Conditioner is out."_ She replied.

_'What else would it be,'_ Kariana thought, "I suppose that would make the most sense."

_"I am truly sorry, Miss Ushimato. I'll call someone immediately and have them look at it."_ Mrs. Nakahara said, sounding completely apologetic.

"Don't worry about it. I can last quite a while so don't feel bad." Kariana reassured her.

_"Alright, dear. Just take good care of yourself."_

"I will." Kariana said and once hearing the _click_ and dial tone she hung up the phone. "Now what's on my agenda for today?" she asked herself, walking over to her fridge and plucking a yellow sticky note off the door. On it, scribbled in blue ink, said _Go to store for groceries_ and then listed a few items, _Get money from bank_, and _Bills to pay on 30__th__!!_ She pressed the sticky note back on the fridge door and walked toward her front door, grabbing her purse, a small tan rectangular bag made of pleather, off a small hook on the wall.

"Guess I'll get it over with now." She said aloud, slipping on a pair of white flip flops and opening her door.

* * *

"Seto! We're out of milk! And bread!" Mokuba yelled to his older brother as he stood in front of the fridge with the door open. Mokuba looked down the hall at his brother's open door. Mokuba didn't really expect him to respond but it helped make him feel more… at home. About a minute later Mokuba stood in front of Kaiba's office doorway. "We're out of milk and bread." He repeated.

"Have Miss Ushimato go to the store then." Kaiba replied without raising his eyes from his laptop, the constant tapping of typing echoing in the room. Mokuba looked at his brother oddly.

"But…she's not here. She has weekends off, don't you remember Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"Just because I am here doesn't mean she is off. Call her." Kaiba told him. Mokuba was still and confused, remaining in the doorway with a perplexed look on his face. Kaiba looked up; his blue eyes softened even through the glasses that were perched on top of his nose. He ceased his typing and leaned back in his chair to look at Mokuba. "What's wrong?" he asked with a slight sigh.

Mokuba shifted his feet. "Well, it's just… I would feel bad if she had to go out of her way just for—"

"Then I'll call her if it bothers you that much." Kaiba interrupted, picking up his cell phone.

"Uh, no!" Mokuba interjected. Kaiba stopped, looking at his brother with his _explain_ look. "I can wait till Monday." Kaiba raised his eyebrows. "Really, Seto, I can." Mokuba pleaded. Kaiba set down his cell phone.

"Alright," he paused, "Have you finished your homework?"

"Uhh," Mokuba hesitated, looking off to the side and scratching his head. "Not _exactly_."

"If you want to do anything this summer you'll need to finish it." Kaiba informed his younger brother, leaning forward towards his laptop.

"Yes Seto." Mokuba nodded before walking out and closing the door behind him. Kaiba hesitated before his laptop, obviously thinking something over. He glanced down at his phone before deciding to pick it up. He held the phone up to his face, pressing a few buttons first.

* * *

Kariana reached into her back pocket, a catchy, chime-like tune coming from her phone. She shifted her basket to her left arm, flipping open the phone and holding to her ear. "Hello?" she answered, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead- turned out the air conditioning in the store was broken as well. This was the first time she had used her phone and she had to admit it was kind of cool.

"Miss Ushimato." Came the cold, business like voice of Seto Kaiba. Kariana double blinked, shaking her head a bit.

"…Mr.…Kaiba." She replied. _'What's he calling me for? It's Saturday,'_ she thought, stopping in the middle of the dairy isle, standing in front of the 2 milk.

_"We're out of milk and bread. I need you to go shopping." _He said and she replied before he could say more.

"Oh, I'm already at the store so I guess I can." She stepped back as woman with a shopping cart barreled through without saying so much as _excuse me_. On the other end Kaiba thought to say she didn't have a choice but he bit his tongue. For whatever inane reason he felt he needn't make such a comment.

"I'll reimburse you when you arrive." He informed her, leaning back in his chair.

"Okay. I'll be there within the hour." Kariana said as she walked forward and opened the freezer door, cold air rushing out to greet her.

_"I expect no later." _Kaiba added before hanging up. Kariana closed her phone and stuck it back into her pocket.

"Oh my gosh," she sighed happily, "This feels great." She smiled as she leaned closer to the freezer, enjoying the cool air on her skin. The walk to the bank and grocery store had really started to get to her, the heat was unbearable. It was no less than ninety nine degrees outside.

* * *

Kariana waved her right arm in the air, praying a taxi would stop for her as she stood out on the side walk, two grocery bags on her left arm. But she waved to no avail. She cursed appropriately, "dang it", under her breath as another taxi drove straight past her. She held her arm up, attempting to block the sun from hitting her face. "I swear it's as if the sun is aiming at me." she mumbled to herself, receiving a few weary glances as equally hot passer bys crossed behind her. "I'm so tired." She sighed but finally gave up on the taxi idea and started to walk the ten or so blocks to the apartment complex. "This is going to be a long walk."

* * *

There was a loud crash from the kitchen of the Kaiba brother's apartment and moments later Seto Kaiba came running out of his office. "Mokuba?" he called with worry in his voice. It was a tone unaccustomed for anyone but Mokuba to hear.

"Oww," Mokuba groaned as he rubbed his head, sitting on the kitchen floor with his right arm propping him up.

"Mokuba," Kaiba said again, this time standing before his younger brother. Mokuba opened his squinted eyes and looked sheepishly up at his brother.

"I'm alright, Seto. I just slipped is all." The raven haired preteen tried to convince the brunette as he rose to his feet. Kaiba put his left hand to his forehead and sighed, his right arm crossing his waistline.

"Mokuba," he mumbled as Mokuba examined the floor. Mokuba stared oddly at what was a wet kitchen floor.

"Seto, the floor's wet," Mokuba's big blue eyes traced a water trail up to the fridge. It was there that a tiny, almost non-existent, stream was dripping from the fridge. "Umm, Seto," Kaiba walked further into the kitchen and looked to see what Mokuba was staring at.

"Damn it." Kaiba cursed under his breath, immediately reaching for the phone on the wall. "Mokuba, go get some towels." He said as he began punching numbers. Mokuba nodded before darting off to the laundry room. As the phone ringed on the other end Kaiba looked up, his eyes landing upon the clock on the microwave; 2:54. _'Where the hell is she?'_ he thought just as someone picked up on the other line.

_"Hello."_ Kaiba opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted before he could, _"For the home and décor department press 1. For electronics and games, press 2,"_ Kaiba leaned forward on the counter letting out an exasperated snort.

* * *

People gawked and stared as Kariana walked down the street, whispering to each other. _'What are they staring at?'_ she thought, giving them odd looks. _'Forget them, Kariana,'_ she sighed inwardly, _'You only have…four blocks…left…'_ Kariana came to a halt as a complete stranger stood directly in front of her.

"Umm, excuse me," she said and tried to go around him but he stepped to the same side as she did. She tried the left but he stepped right, then she tried right again and he stepped left. "Is there a problem?" she asked, a bit irritated.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to escort you to the hospital." The gentleman said. Kariana gave him an awkward look. He was handsome, shiny black hair and brown eyes, probably in his early twenties.

"What?" Kariana took a wobbly step back, suddenly loosing her balance. The guy reached out to grab her but she hit his hand away. She managed to lean forward, but almost a little too far. "There's nothing wrong with me." She stated.

"I'm sorry… I can't understand you, ma'am." He said, but to Kariana his voice came out in slurs.

"You can't understand me?" she quirked one eyebrow, "I can't understand you!" she scoffed but he only continued to give her odd looks, as if she were crazy. Kariana's eyes then widened in shcock, "Ugh!" She gasped. She was suddenly very dizzy; as if someone had punched her in the jaw. Her fingers relaxed away from the grocery bag in her left hand, the jugs of milk falling to the ground and busting open as she fell forward. The other bag on her left arm, filled with bread and eggs, never hit ground for the black haired man had caught her in his arms.

"Ma'am!" he had exclaimed before looking up at the people around them, "What are you waiting for?!" he yelled at someone who had been watching the whole thing, "Call an ambulance!"

The people scurried and many people in fact pulled out their cell phones. The gentleman lifted up Kariana's bangs to see her face. She was a light shade of red, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.

A stream of milk flowed down the slightly uphill sidewalk, puddling in the same fashion the water had in the Kaiba brother's kitchen.

* * *

Stephan: So there you have it. It should be pretty obvious what has happened but if not feel free to guess!


	17. Not My Responsibility

Stephan: If you have ever been dehydrated you know how much it sucks! I do and I'll never let it happen ever again. Yay for gynormous water bottles! It's a bit shorter than the recent ones but I think you can forgive me for that :D

Part 17: Not My Responsibility

As soon as the phone rang, Kaiba snatched the receiver from its cradle. "It's about time." He barked, seemingly pissed. Earlier, when he had called the company, as soon as a real person had picked up they said they would have to call back because they were having _technical problems_. Kaiba knew good and well that whenever a company said they were having _technical problems_ they were basically saying, _I'm sorry, I don't know jack shit about what you're going to ask me so let me waste even more of your time by trying to find someone else who knows even less than I do!_

The man on the other end hesitated, _"Well I would sure hope not."_ He scoffed.

Kaiba glared at the wall. "Now listen here-"

_"I don't know why you have your panties in a bunch but right now but your employee…"_ he paused, as if reading off of something, _ "Kariana Ushimato, is currently at the hospital."_

Kaiba paused, trading his angry expression for a puzzled one. "What _are_ you talking about? Miss Ushimato is-"

_"She passed out in the streets from dehydration and overexertion. She was showing signs of deliria when I approached her. I tried calling her parents but all I received were a bunch of curses from a very angry man whom I can only presume is her father."_ He paused, _"I figured since you're her employer you would be the next best choice."_

At this point Kaiba was very agitated at the way the guy was speaking to him. Kaiba turned around and leaned against the counter, holding the phone up with his right hand and stuffing his left into the pocket of his pants. "Miss Ushimato is not my responsibility," he replied, "Just because one of my employees is in the hospital because of her own lack of common sense does not mean I am responsible."

"Kari's in the hospital?" Mokuba said from the hallway entrance with a worried look.

_'Damn it,'_ Kaiba thought. He put his hand over the phone so the man would not hear him. "Mokuba, go to your room."

Mokuba frowned. "But Seto, you just said-"

"It doesn't matter. Go to your-"

"I want to go see her!" Mokuba declared with a very stern face. Kaiba paused; surprised Mokuba had just raised his voice at him. "Kari's been there for me and I want to be there for her." The young boy explained. "_Please_ Seto."

Kaiba was quiet for a long time as _hellos _and _are you still there's_ could be heard from the receiver. He let out a sort of grunt, removing his hand from the phone so the guy could hear him. "I'm coming." He replied with disdain, "Which hospital is she at?"

* * *

"Kari!" Mokuba exclaimed as he ran behind the screen where Kariana was kept. He gave no notice to the black haired man that stood off to the side, giving him odd looks. Kariana's eyes fluttered a bit as she managed to open her green orbs to their full potential.

"M-mokuba?" she let out a groan as she tried to sit up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man said to Kariana just as Kaiba pulled the curtain back. Cold blue met cynical brown as the two men looked at each other. "Kaiba," he smirked, "How nice to see you again."

"Again?" Mokuba looked back and forth from the man to his brother.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same about you, Hiten." Kaiba scowled before looking at Kariana as she sat half way up on her elbows. "Get dressed, we're leaving." He told her and walked out. Hiten glared at Kaiba's back before turning and smiling at Kariana.

"I do hope you get better Miss Ushimato. Rest well." He said with soft brown eyes and then left at hasty pace. Kariana had opened her mouth to thank him but he was already gone. Mokuba sighed but smiled up at Kariana.

"I'll go get your clothes, Kari." He said.

"…Thanks Mokuba." She said with a forced smile. _'What the heck is going on?'_ she thought, staring at where Kaiba and Hiten had so hurriedly rushed out.

* * *

A hand came down roughly on Kaiba's shoulder and half way in turning him around, Kaiba bat the hand away. "Don't touch me, mutt." Kaiba snarled at Hiten. Hiten's once soft brown eyes were now sharp and vindictive.

"You keep your hands off my women, Kaiba." Hiten spat, his slicked back hair falling out of place.

"Tch, I haven't touched any of your filth in ages." Kaiba retorted, glancing around at the small audience that they were gathering. "I'm _not_ going to talk about this here." He snapped, turning around and walking off.

"You're full of shit Seto Kaiba!" Hiten yelled down the hall, obviously he didn't care who heard him. "If you touch Lanna again I swear you'll regret it!" a sly smirk spread across his lips as a thought occurred to him. _'No, I won't let him know everything.'_ He glanced back at where Kariana was dressing. He could see through a small space as she slowly dressed herself, only in her undergarments while Mokuba stood outside, his back to her. _'Seto Kaiba, you __**will**__ regret messing with me.'

* * *

_

"The doctor said you need to rest for a few more hours." Mokuba said to Kariana as he helped her into the limo.

"Thanks Mokuba." Kariana smiled weakly as she took a seat. Mokuba climbed in, shutting the door and sitting across from her. Kariana glanced diagonally across at Kaiba. _'He looks really angry…'_ she thought, lowering her head shamefully. Mokuba's eyebrows lowered in concern.

"You'll need to stay with us for a little while. We'll take good care of you, right Seto?" Mokuba looked over at his brother with a hopeful smile. Kaiba said nothing in response. He only continued to gaze out the window, his arms and legs crossed. Mokuba looked back at Kariana. "You'll be alright, Kari. I promise."

Kariana smiled, "Thank you, Mokuba." And then it was quiet. The ride back to the Kaiba apartment was a long and tedious trip. _'He must be mad at me,'_ Kariana thought to herself, _'No! It's not my fault. I'm not going to let him make me feel guilty about something I had no control over!'_ she convinced herself but only for a short period of time. She wouldn't be able to blame him, not even if it was his fault. _'Just like father…'_ she sighed deeply.

* * *

"I'm sorry we don't have much right now." Mokuba informed Kariana as he handed her a bowl of dry cereal. "We lost most of everything due to the fridge breaking and all."

"It's alright." Kariana said with a smile, accepting the bowl just as a knock came from the front door. Mokuba looked over, puzzled. "I wonder who that could be," Kariana said as Mokuba made his way to the door. The knocking quickly turned into banging and no sooner than when Mokuba opened the door did Kaiba come out of his office, fuming.

"What's going on?" Kaiba asked in irritation, just as the person at the door was revealed.

Kariana sat up in surprise, "Joey?" she said, baffled.

"Kari," Joey huffed, seemingly out of breath.

"…Hi Joey," Mokuba said unsurely, letting the blonde inside.

Just as Joey was about to speak to Kariana, Kaiba interjected, "What are you doing here, Wheeler?" he snapped.

"I'm here to get Kari." Joey barked back before turning to Kariana. "Come on Kari, Tristan's waiting outside."

"She's not going anywhere." Kaiba declared as Kariana swung her legs over the side of the couch.

"Like that's up to you!" Joey glared.

Kaiba returned the glare with his own. "It happens to be so. Now leave before I decide to sick the dog catcher on you."

"Ooh, that's so original, Kaiba!" Joey scoffed, walking over to Kariana. "Come on Kari-"

Kaiba stepped between the two, "Miss Ushimato is not going anywhere. As long as she works for me, everything I say goes."

Kariana looked fearfully between the two. _'What's going on?'_ she thought, _'Why are they doing this??'_

"Why you…" Joey growled, "How can you treat her like that?!" he snatched the front of Kaiba's shirt in his fist, yanking him forward. "She's not your lap dog!"

Both Mokuba and Kariana stared in utter horror, their eyes as wide as blue and green dinner plates. "S-seto-" Mokuba stuttered.

"Joey, wait-" Kariana tried to interrupt but was too late. With quick movements, Kaiba wretched at Joey's wrist and within seconds had him sprawled on the floor. Joey rose back to his feet almost as quickly as he had been put on the ground, his fists balled up and ready to deck Kaiba in the jaw.

"S-STOP!!!" Kariana yelled, stumbling towards them. Joey pulled back in shock as Kariana stood in front of Kaiba, her arms out to her sides. "Please Joey! No more!" she pleaded, her eyes teary.

"…Kari," Joey said in a hushed voice, lowering his fist. Kaiba gazed down at Kariana with no particular emotion on his face. Mokuba sighed in relief at seeing the situation at least starting calm down.

"There's no point in fighting, so please, stop!" she breathed heavily, staring into Joey's eyes. With one look into her green eyes he was convinced and suddenly at ease. Kariana dropped her arms. "I'm staying. Mr. Kaiba has already-"

"Get out." Kaiba interrupted, causing Kariana to twirl around with a perplexed gaze. "Both of you, get out now."

"But, Mr. Kaiba-"

"Get out. _Now_." Kaiba demanded, turning sharply and walking away. "Make sure she has everything, Mokuba."

Mokuba hesitated, "Y-yes Seto." He began gathering what little Kariana had, her groceries (what was left anyways), wallet and keys. Kariana stared at Kaiba's back until he was in his office where she could no longer see him. Joey sighed, feeling a bit guilty.

"Let's go Kari." He said, taking her by the shoulder. "I'll take you home." Kariana was frozen for a few seconds but she eventually nodded.

* * *

"I'm really sorry, Kari." Joey said as he poured a green liquid from one of Kariana's tea kettles into two cups. "I didn't mean for it to get out of hand." He set the kettle back onto the stove and picked up the cups, walking over to Kariana's small table where he sat down next to her.

"I'm just glad neither of you were hurt." She replied, taking one of the cups into her hands and blowing on it, the steam pushed away by her breath before she took a sip.

"Both of us, huh?" Joey stated, twirling his finger around in the green liquid.

Kariana glanced at him, "Yes. _Both_ of you." Kariana said, taking another sip. Joey let out a depressed sigh. "Joey, you know how I feel." Kariana started, setting down her cup and looking at him as he continued to twirl his finger inside his cup. "I don't wish pain on _anyone_."

"Even Kaiba," Joey said a bit sadly. Kariana looked at him oddly.

"Even Kaiba." She repeated. _'What is up with him?'_ she thought. Joey lowered his head, retrieving his finger from his cup. "Joey…?" Kariana leaned forward a bit so as to see his face.

* * *

"Damn it!" Kaiba cursed, rising to his feat and slamming his chair against the wall as he did so. He let out a frustrated growl as he wandered around his room. _'I can't get anything done!'_ he thought, walking around his office in circles. Mokuba peeked in from what little of a crack there was between the door and wall. His blue eyes were filled with worry and sadness.

_'Poor Seto,'_ the boy thought, _'I haven't seen him like this in a long time…'_

Kaiba slammed the side of his right fist against the back wall. He tilted his head down were his bangs created a shadow over his eyes. _'Why can't I get anything done…'

* * *

_

"Uh! Joey…" Kariana gasped as Joey reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head against her stomach. "What're you-"

"Please," he begged, "Just lemme lay here wit ya… Please, Kari."

Kariana stared down at her friend with lowered eyebrows and confused eyes. "Joey…" she paused. She didn't hold him in return but she didn't push away him either. "Okay." She said in a hushed voice.

_'I'm losin her,'_ Joey thought as he took in her warmth, _'I'm losin the only girl I might've eva had…'_ his hands gripped the material of her shirt tighter, _'Damn you…Kaiba…'_

.::Chapter End::._  
_


	18. Opposites Attract

Stephan: Yeah, it's been about a year since I updated, I know. But hey, at least I did, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters from the show; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Part 18: Opposites Attract

.::Monday Morning::.

"Seto," Mokuba called out, a plate of toast in his hands as he entered his brother's office. "Oh," Mokuba smiled at the sight of his older brother sleeping. Kaiba had laid his arms out on his desk, his head resting in between the gap they made. Mokuba moved quietly into the office, setting the plate down on the desk. He reached over and took Kaiba's glasses between his fingers, carefully taking them off of his face and setting them onto the desk. "You work so hard, brother." Mokuba said in a hushed voice as he walked back to the door. He looked back one last time with a smile. "You deserve a good rest." And closed the door. Kariana would be there soon to take him to school. There was an engineering club that Mokuba joined and the club had decided to keep the meetings going during summer break.

Kariana reentered the Kaiba apartment shortly after she had dropped Mokuba off at school. Before she left, Mokuba had told her that someone would be coming in to fix the broken fridge. Much to Kaiba's frustration, they didn't do house calls on Sundays so they had to wait another day. According to Mokuba, they would be arriving within the hour; they would be the first customer that morning, Kaiba had made sure of that.

* * *

"Whew." Kariana slipped off her shoes then went and set her purse on the kitchen counter. She had her hair pulled up in a high ponytail, sporting short, tan cargo shorts and a brown tank top. Noting the stillness of the apartment and absence of the tap tapping of a computer, Kariana walked down the hall to peek into Kaiba's office. To her surprise, the hot shot CEO that seemed to always be working was fast asleep on his desk. As curiosity teased her, a fierce debate of whether or not she should enter worked up in her head. Slowly opening the door further and taking a step in, it was clear which side had won the argument. As she got close to him she suddenly became overly aware of her breathing and footsteps. Every step was like stepping on a creaky board to her. She was so self-conscious she was barely breathing.

'_He looks so… so calm… and serene… so… __**not**__ him.'_ She thought as she took in the rare sight. He was as Mokuba had left him, arms crossed, with his face resting on its right side. She wasn't aware, but a part of her was secretly taking note of every little detail. The way his brown hair laid against his head and how his bangs swept over his brow so gently. His lips were shut, but not in a forced way. His eyelashes even looked longer. Was this really the man who had been so crude and impassive to her?

The sudden rapping on the front door caused Kariana to nearly jump out of her skin. Her face flushed as she realized just where she was and who she was watching sleep. Within seconds, she had bolted out of Kaiba's office completely unnoticed.

"Hello." Kariana said as she answered the door to the man who was there to fix the fridge. He was a rather large man, so large one might have thought it'd be easier for him to just carry in a new fridge rather than fix one.

"You alright miss?" the man asked, Kariana giving him an odd look in response, "Yer face is a little red. You been out in the sun too much, huh?"

"Oh, no uh, I just…" Kariana became flustered.

The older man laughed at her squeamishness. "That's alright Miss. If ya don't mind showing me to the kitchen I'll have a look see and fix up yer fridge for ya." He looked towards the hallway and grinned. Kariana turned and there at the hall entrance stood Kaiba, his glasses perched neatly back up on his nose. "That yer hubby, I'm guessin'?"

Kariana blushed a deep crimson, "N-no. It's not like that at all." She managed to mutter before Kaiba took control of the situation.

"The kitchen is right around that corner. The fridge has a leak is all. Shouldn't take you long to get out of here." Kaiba said with little enthusiasm as he adjusted the cuffs on his long sleeved shirt.

"Yes'sir. I'll fix 'er up in a jiff." The man replied, walking straight to the kitchen. Kariana was silent, staring at Kaiba but seemingly zoned out.

"While you have the door wide open, Miss Ushimato, it is to my knowledge that we seem to be out of groceries." Kaiba stated, snapping Kariana out of her daze. "The card is on the counter. Take your time. I won't need you for anything else today."

"O-okay…" Kariana grabbed her purse and the credit card on the counter then slipped on her shoes. Still a bit flustered, she left the apartment silently.

The repair man, now sitting on the floor, leaned back enough to peer around the counter at Kaiba. "My girlfriend would kill me if I talked to 'er like."

Without any kind of response, not even a _she's-not- my-girlfriend _scoff, Kaiba turned around and went back down the hall to his office.

* * *

By the time Kariana had returned from the store, the fridge had been fixed and the repairman had left. A part of her was relieved to find the man gone. She had no doubt in her mind that if he had been there he would have said all sorts of things that would make her burn red up to her ears.

With a heavy sigh of relief, she set down two large brown paper bags of groceries. "At least I didn't have to walk." She said to herself as she began putting everything up. She paused with the fridge open and a gallon of milk in her right hand. _'That's strange,'_ she thought in reference to the silence, _'He couldn't have fallen back asleep…'_ she put the milk in the fridge and closed the door. "Is he even here?" she asked aloud, making her way down the hallway. The door to his office was wide open and empty. "Huh," she closed the door and turned around, "I wonder where he went?" she pondered for another few seconds before locking her eyes on his bedroom door right in front of her. It was open. She wasn't sure what it was that drove her to enter, perhaps it was simply curiosity.

"H-hello?" she called as she entered the room. Kaiba was nowhere in sight. "Mr. Kaiba? Are you still here?" she asked into the dead silence. She glanced around the room and walked in a bit further. On the far right wall was another door. She walked up to it, seeing that is was opened just a sliver of a ways and the inside appeared to be a bit foggy.

"What are you doing?" Kaiba's cold voice cut into the silence from behind Kariana, causing her to jump and spin around.

"I-I'm so sorry." She stuttered, "I-I just thought… that is I…" she paused, gulping slightly at the harsh stare his blue eyes bore into her visage. She was so flustered that she didn't even realize, by the dampness of his hair, that he had just gotten done with a shower.

"You thought what?" Kaiba implored after she paused for such a long time.

"N-nothing really." She replied meekly, "I just got back with the groceries and wanted to make sure there really wasn't anything else I could do for you." There was a long drawn out pause as Kariana waited anxiously for a response of some kind. _'__**Please**__ say something. Anything.'_

"Go. There's nothing I need from you. I thought I already told you that."

'_Anything but that…'_ she thought, "Yes… Mr. Kaiba. I'm sorry for bothering you." She said apologetically and left his room. _'I'm such an idiot. What the heck was I thinking?'

* * *

_

"Hey Mokuba?" Kariana said without looking up from chopping vegetables.

"Yeah, Kari?" Mokuba replied from the living area. He had been sitting at the table working fervently to finish his summer homework.

"Just how close are you to being done with your homework?" she asked as she picked up the wooden cutting board and dumped the veggies into a pan.

"Oh… um, well, I'm not sure." He replied, getting up and kneeling on the couch to look at her.

"Well, at the rate you're going, do you think you'll be done by Friday or Saturday?"

"Well, if I didn't have the club on Wednesday I could probably finish by Thursday." He paused, "So, I guess Friday… how come you're asking, Kari?"

"Oh, no big reason," she said with a broad smile, stirring the dinner contents in the pan, "I was just thinking you might wanna go to a real club as a sort of reward."

Mokuba was taken back at first, uncertain of how to respond. "I don't think Seto would-"

"Don't worry about your brother. I'll tell him we're doing something else. He'll never know. Besides, this is a club for teens. There's no alcohol or drugs. Just good clean fun, dancing and karaoke." She reassured him. Mokuba pondered as Kariana finished up the dinner.

"Okay." He finally said with a smile.

"Awesome. We'll have a great time, I promise you. Now come grab a plate and we'll eat."

Mokuba hopped off the couch and went into the kitchen, "So all I have to do is finish my homework before Friday night?"

"That's right." Kariana smiled, handing him a plate. "I'll talk to your brother tonight and see if I can get you out of the house for Friday."

"Thanks, Kari."

* * *

Kariana knocked on Kaiba's office door. "What is it?" Kaiba replied, his voice muffled through the closed door.

Kariana opened the door and took one side step into the office so that only the left side of her body and her face could be seen. "Mokuba's in bed now. I'll be leaving once I clean up a bit."

"Fine." Kaiba replied, his eyes focused on the work in front of him. There was a bit of silence before Kaiba looked up at her. "Is that all Miss Ushimato?" he asked a bit sharply.

Kariana hesitated. "Well, no…" she paused, "I was just wondering if I could take Mokuba out somewhere Friday. You know, as a sort of reward for finishing his homework. That is, if he finishes it by then."

"You already told him, didn't you." Kaiba stated more than asked, ceasing his work for the time being.

"Oh, is… that a problem?" Kariana asked bashfully.

"Yes. As a matter of fact it is." Kaiba said, his voice holding an irritated tone. He sighed, rubbing the space between his eyes and causing his glasses to move up and down ever so slightly. "From now on, Miss Ushimato, I expect whatever _ideas_ you come up with that you check with me before you go telling Mokuba."

'_Right, so it's easier for you to say no.'_ she thought, "Yes, Mr. Kaiba."

"You may go now."

"Thank you." Kariana nodded, "Good night Mr. Kaiba." She closed the door behind her and started down the hall. When she reached Mokuba's room at the end she peeked in.

"What'd he say?" Mokuba asked, sitting up in his bed.

Kariana gave him a thumbs-up. "It's a go."

"Yes!" Mokuba rejoiced with a hushed voice and a big grin. "Thank you so much Kari!"

"No problem." Kariana smiled, "You just hold up your part of the deal, alright?"

Mokuba nodded, "I will, I promise."

"Good. Then I'll see you in the morning, kay? Good night Mokuba."

"G'night Kari." Mokuba said as he laid back down and Kariana closed the door to his bedroom.

* * *

Just as Kariana entered her apartment her phone rang. "Great." She sighed, dropping her purse on the ground and taking off her shoes. By the fifth ring she picked the phone up out of its cradle. "Hello?"

"_Hey Kari, its Joey."_

"Oh, hey Jo. What's up, is everything okay?" she asked, leaning her lower back against the counter.

"_Yeah, of course. I'm just checkin' up on ya…"_ he paused before adding, _"Actually, that's not true. I'm not alright Kari."_

Kariana lowered her eyebrows, "I'm sorry. What's the matter Jo?"

"_It's just… the other night… ya know, after I picked ya up from Kaiba's…"_

"Oh," Kariana blushed, "That… Um… w-what about it?"

"_Kari… I… I really like you. I mean, I know we've been best friends but I just… You mean so much to me, Kari. More than anything or anyone else."_

Kariana sighed, "Joey, don't say something like that-"

"_**No**__ Kari. I mean it. I really do. I wanna be with you. And I don't want anyone else to have ya."_ There was an awkward silence as Kariana thought. She couldn't say she was completely surprised, the signs had always been there, but she had always denied them. _"Kari?"_

"I'm here." She took a deep breath, "Listen Joey… You've been a great friend to me, and there's no one in the world that could replace you, no one that I would want to. I understand your feelings… but I can't return them."

There was a pause on the line before Joey replied, _"Yeah… I kinda thought you'd say somethin' like that…"_

"I think I know why you feel the way you do…" she paused, "The way you and I get along, it's perfect; we hardly fight, we never get in each other's way, we're comfortable with each other and we know how to make each other laugh."

"_If you know then why-"_

"Just… let me finish…" Kariana paused, "The problem is Jo, is that we're too similar. I mean, we're still young. We have a lot of growing up to do and a lot to learn. And I just can't see us growing together… because we're so alike I'm not sure what'd we learn from each other." She placed her hand on her face, covering her eyes, "Our views on things and the way we do stuff is the same. I want to learn different ways to see things. I wanna see the world from someone else's point of view- a view different from my own… I'm so sorry. I really want you to be happy Jo, but I don't think that person for you is me." She bit down on her lower lip, tears falling down her cheeks from under her hand.

"…_Then that person doesn't exist."_ Joey replied, his voice quiet and crestfallen.

"No!" Kariana shouted, "Don't you ever say that!" she gasped, choking back on her tears, "You're a great guy Jo! And you know something? That person is probably closer than you think she is. I'm not the one for you Joey. There's a girl out there that you will be able to learn from and grow with. You just… need to look." At this point tears were flowing down her face and she had slid down to the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest. On the other end Joey was silent.

"_I'm sorry Kari… I just… I really like you… Nothing will ever change that."_ He paused and took a breath, _"But you just might be right. I'll give up on you because I just want you to be happy."_ Changing his tone to something more cheerful, he added_ "But if that girl never comes around, ya better be ready for an earful." _

Kariana chuckled through her tears with a sad smile. "Alright Jo, it's a deal… I am sorry."

"_Naw, don't worry about it. I should be the one sayin' sorry... And I am sorry for puttin' ya through all this Kari. You're my best friend… I just want ya to be happy and I thought the best way to do that is if we were together."_

Kariana nodded despite the fact it was a phone conversation, "I know Jo. You're always looking out for me. Thank you."

"_Damn right I am… I guess this is good night then?"_

"Yeah, I guess so." Kariana wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, sniffling a bit.

"_Alright. G'night Kari."_

"Good night Jo."

.::Chapter End::.


	19. Bad Timing

Stephan: Sorry for the long delay, but it just so happens that I have misplaced my notes for this story -__-#

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters from the show; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you! Also, the song "Raver's Fantasy" that is mentioned briefly in this chapter is not mine, it belongs to the band the MoGs Underground. Which I listened to repeatedly while I wrote the ending of this chap!

Part 19: Bad Timing

.::Friday Afternoon::.

At the top of the school steps, Mokuba walked out with the group of boys from the engineering club. They were laughing and talking about something, each of them centering on Mokuba. When Mokuba looked up he waved over at Kariana. She was standing outside the car waiting for him. She waved back with a smile.

"Hey, Mokuba, what's the deal with that lady, is she your sister or somethin?" one of the boys asked.

"Yeah. She's been here the past few times hasn't she?" another stated.

"Well, not exactly." Mokuba replied.

"Huh? What do you mean? She either is or isn't, right?"

"Well, she works for my brother. She helps take care of me and keeps the apartment clean and stuff." Mokuba explained.

"Oh!" one of the boys exclaimed, "You mean they're engaged."

Mokuba grinned, "No. Net yet."

"So they've been dating then?" the same boy asked.

"Mokuba!" Kariana called, tapping her wrist in manner meaning it was time to get going.

"No, they aren't. I gotta guys. I'll see you next week!" Mokuba said as he raced down the steps, leaving behind a group of very confused boys.

"What were you guys talking about?" Kariana asked as she opened the door for Mokuba.

"Just about the project we're working on. We plan on entering a competition." Mokuba fibbed.

"That sounds cool. I'll have to come see you guys compete." Kariana smiled in return before entering the car.

* * *

Later that afternoon, back at the Kaiba apartment, Mokuba and Kariana were sitting in the living room quietly as Mokuba hurried to finish his homework.

"Don't go too fast now!" Kariana warned, "You don't want to end up messing up just because you're so anxious." She leaned down and whispered to him, "We won't be leaving until seven anyways. You've got a few more hours."

The door to Kaiba's room opened, the sound causing Kariana to look up as Mokuba continued to work out each math problem. A slight tint of pink rose to her cheeks as the CEO walked down the hall. He was wearing a very nice black suit with a blue silk shirt underneath and a black tie. His pants were pressed into a fine crease and his jacket fit almost snuggly. Apparently there was some sort of occasion tonight for he even had his hair neatly parted to one side, a sight Kariana had never seen.

"I have an important dinner meeting tonight. I won't be back until late." Kaiba stated as he adjusted his cuff links. "I expect you to make sure Mokuba gets to bed at a decent time Miss Ushimato."

"I will." Kariana said perhaps a little too quietly.

Kaiba paused as he checked his watch, "Exactly what are you planning on doing?" he asked.

"Oh. I just thought we'd go out to the movies and get some ice cream after." Kariana said subtly with a meek smile. Kaiba hesitated, staring down at Kariana.

"…Fine. You know what I expect Miss Ushimato. If anything happens while you're out…"

"Yes sir. I know. I'll take good care of Mokuba." Kariana replied with a smile.

Kaiba nodded. "Don't rush Mokuba. You needn't make a mistake just because Miss Ushimato is offering to take you out."

"Yes Seto." Mokuba said, grinning up at his older brother, "I'll do my best. Good bye brother."

After Kaiba had left Kariana stood up and went into the kitchen. "So what would you like for dinner?"

"Kari, I feel bad about lying to Seto." Mokuba admitted, setting down his pencil.

"Haven't you ever lied to him before? Besides, you never really lied. I was the one who told him we're _going to the movies_."

"Yeah… I guess so." Mokuba said quietly. Kariana thought for a moment then leaned on the counter with her arms.

"You know, if you don't want to go we really can just go see a movie." Kariana said, "I don't want you feeling guilty, Mokuba. I just want you to be happy."

"I know," he turned around and smiled, "I really do want to go. It sounds like fun and I've never been to a teens-only club."

"You sure? Cause we can go look at movie times."

"Definitely. I'm sure, Kari."

Kariana smiled, "Alright then!" she stood back up and patted the counter with her hands, "How about some dinner?"

* * *

It was an extravagant restaurant, one of the finest and most expensive as well. The price of wine was ridiculous and the entrees were slightly on the bizarre side. But it was ideal for business men; especially business men getting together for a big deal. Kaiba had arrived around the same time as three other men. They were big time company owners like him. They each greeted each other in a gentlemanly fashion before the hostess came up to them and led them to their table. After months of hard work, tedious meetings and heated arguments, Kaiba was sure they were about to settle a long awaited deal. He knew exactly how to handle this situation and it always started with the best red wine in the house. Nothing would ruin this opportunity.

* * *

"Thank you." Kariana smiled at the men at the front as they let her and Mokuba enter the club. When they entered they were hit with a wave of music and chatter. It was a lively crowd, teenagers from 13 to 17. Kariana had only been able to get in because of Mokuba, using the excuse that he was her little brother and she had to remain with him at all times. However, Mokuba was certain they let her in for reasons other than her somewhat lame excuse.

At first, Mokuba wasn't sure how to take it all in. It was completely different from anything he'd ever been to before. People were dancing and laughing as the strobe lights flashed over them and the upbeat techno music guided their feet and bodies. It was all very… peculiar.

Mokuba looked up when Kariana placed her hand on his shoulder. "Follow me." She said with a smile, her voice barely audible through the music. Kariana led Mokuba up to the soda bar and while she talked to the person behind the counter Mokuba continued to take in his surroundings in pure amazement. "Thank you." Kariana said as she took two glasses of soda, handing one of them to Mokuba.

"Thank you." Mokuba said with a smile.

"No problem." Kariana replied as she held up a cardkey. "I got us a karaoke room. Let's go try it out."

Mokuba looked hesitant at first, but after thinking for a moment he nodded. "Okay! Let's go."

Kariana led the way through the dancing crowd of teenagers and down a white walled hall. They stopped at the third door on the right, standing in front of a white door with a small six by 12 inch window at about eye level. Kariana took the cardkey and stuck it into the small square slot in the wall next to the door. There was a soft _click_ as the door unlocked and she opened it, entering with Mokuba right behind her. The room was relatively small, but enough for two people. Directly in front of them was a small elevated "stage" with a black monitor and cordless mike. Mokuba closed the door as Kariana hopped onto the stage and snatched up the microphone.

"So!" Kariana exclaimed, "Shall we duet first or am I going solo?" she asked with a grin.

Mokuba smiled broadly, "Umm, you can go first. I've never done this before so I think I need to see how it's done." Kariana gave him a fake look of skepticism.

"Have it your way, squirt. Take a seat." She pointed at the small round table with two chairs near the left wall with the microphone. Mokuba took the seat willingly and stared up at Kariana with bright blue eyes.

* * *

The tense atmosphere at the table was slowly dissolving as the four men were slowly coming to a conclusion. The oldest businessman, and the largest of the four, folded his hands in front of him as he spoke his concerns. The middle aged man next to him, with neatly combed brown hair and beard, took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose with middle finger and thumb. Kaiba sat quietly, listening to the grey haired man speak his thoughts, his legs crossed and his hands lying neatly in his lap. The blond to Kaiba's right had already lost interest as he was swirling the red liquid around in his wine glass. He was not much older than Kaiba, perhaps only a five year difference. Despite the old man's words, they all knew the long drawn out deal was coming to a close.

Back at the club, teens were dancing and jumping around as the song "Raver's Fantasy" boomed from the stereos and the strobes lit up their faces. Inside the karaoke room, Kariana was singing not too shabbily. She motioned for Mokuba to join her, and with only a slight hesitation, he got up from his seat and joined her on the stage.

Somewhere else, hidden way back in the club, a door was barely cracked open. Inside the room behind that door there were at least ten men sitting and standing around a low table. The tension was high in the room and the music from the dance floor could be heard faintly. The table was covered with white packages and one of the men threw down a stack of money with a disgruntled face.

Outside the building, five police cars pulled up to the lot. As fully equipped policemen came out of the vehicles, the line leading into the club quickly disappeared as the teenagers disbursed. The bouncer held up his hands and stepped out of the way as the armed officers entered the building.

Pulling out a piece of paper from his briefcase, Kaiba slid the document across the table to the large, older gentleman. The man pulled out a pen from his breast pocket and signed at the bottom of the page. He passed it to the middle aged man who signed it then passed it to the blond. The blond tapped the pen against the table, as if thinking it over. He sighed then scribbled his initials. He held the paper out to Kaiba indignantly. With no particular emotion on his face, Kaiba took the paper and marked his initials, finishing the deal.

The sound of the music blocked out the majority of the shouts and screams of the dancing teenagers as the officers guarded all entrances and exits. Some ran around, trying to find a way out, but any possible exit was blocked. A group of the officers ran down the halls to the back of the club. A loud bang echoed down the hall as the door in the back room was kicked in. The officers flooded in, pointing their guns and shouting. The men in the room froze.

Kariana stopped singing. She looked up at the tiny window, crossing her eyebrows. Mokuba looked up at her in confusion, asking her what was wrong. But Kariana didn't hear him. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the heads of the policemen rush down the hall. She dropped the mike and ran up to the door, peering out of the tiny window. Mokuba walked over to her, standing on his toes in attempt to see whatever it was that Kariana was seeing. She turned to him and held her index finger to her lips. Mokuba nodded, not sure what was going on but assumed it was important seeing how Kariana was acting so strange. Kariana opened the door slowly, grabbing a hold on Mokuba's hand. After looking to the left and seeing the police blocking all the exits, Kariana took a deep breathe. Mokuba listened carefully; trying to figure out was going on. But before he could make anything out, Kariana had already made her move. They took a right out of the room and down the hall. Mokuba glanced behind him as Kariana led the way. His blue eyes widened at the sight of the uniforms. Now he understood Kariana's strange behavior.

Having found the back of the club, Kariana rushed down the hall with Mokuba. There was another turn at the end and she hoped there'd be an exit there. One of the officers in the back room caught a glimpse of them and pulled his walkie talkie up to his mouth, speaking to someone on the either end. A sense of relief came over Kariana and Mokuba as they saw the door ahead of them. Kariana trusted the door open but she would never had guessed what was about to happen next.

One of Kaiba's bodyguards reached his hand up to the speaker in his left ear. After acknowledging the voice on the other end, he walked up to the table of businessmen and bent down to Kaiba's ear level. Kaiba's expression remained unchanged as the bodyguard relayed the message he had received only seconds before. Kaiba stood up from the table, followed by the other gentlemen. "Excuse me, but something urgent has come up. I assure you, I will make sure everything goes as planned."

* * *

Mokuba and Kariana sat in the lobby of the police station. Mokuba stared nervously at his hands on his lap while Kariana was hunched over, resting her forehead on her folded hands. The sound of cameras and obnoxious news anchors flooded in from the doors as they were opened briefly. Mokuba and Kariana looked up to see Kaiba walking towards them.

"Brother," Mokuba stood up, looking at his brother's eyes. There was no anger in his ice blue eyes as he looked down at his little brother but disappointment was strong in his gaze. Mokuba looked down at his feet shamefully. Kariana made no eye contact with Kaiba; she acted almost as if he weren't even there.

"Let's go. " Kaiba demanded with a low tone.

"Yes Seto." Mokuba replied quietly, starting to follow his older brother.

"You too, Ushimato." Kaiba added sharply without stopping to wait or turning around. Kariana stood up from her seat and followed behind the two brothers. Mokuba looked up with sad blue eyes, trying to read his brother for any other possible sign while one of the officers led them to the back exit. But it did him no good. He knew Seto was disappointed in him; so much so, he'd rather his brother be mad at him instead. Mokuba's eyes trailed back to his own eye level as they reached the limo. His mind was riddled with so many thoughts he could no longer control them. As for Kariana and Kaiba, what ran through their minds as they entered into the vehicle were exactly the same. Neither of them was thinking anything about what had just happened. It was as if both their minds had become blank slates. Unfortunately, when they would return to the apartment that would no longer be the case.

.::Chapter End::.


	20. One Week Notice

Stephan: Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It really makes a difference when I see your reviews and know that you all like my story! It truly makes writing this story worth it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters from the show; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Part 20: One Week Notice

"What were you thinking?!" Kaiba yelled, slamming his hands down on his desk. Kariana sat in the chair before him, arms folded and face turned to the right. "How could you take him to a place like that? Who knows what could have happened!" he paused, glaring at her, "Look at me when I'm talking to you." She turned her face forward and they glared daggers at each other, neither one fazed by the other.

"It was just a club." She muttered, looking away from him again.

"_Just a club_?" Kaiba restated with a scoff, "It was a cover up for drug deals! And you brought Mokuba into it! Do you realize what the press will be saying now because of _your_ screw up?! This is going to be on _my_ head, not yours!"

"Is that _all_ you care about?!" she finally yelled back, standing up. "How you look to the rest of the world? Your _reputation_?!" she snarled, stepping closer to his desk, arms crossed. "And how was I supposed to know what they were doing _behind_ closed doors! It's advertised for teenagers! I just thought that Mokuba-"

"You just thought?!" he interrupted, "You _lied_ to my face! You don't get to think! I tell you what you can and can't do! I'm the one signing your pay check, Ushimato!" Kariana let out an aggravated scream, throwing her arms down and walking towards the door. "I did _not_ dismiss you!" Kaiba declared, going after her. He followed her down the hall until they entered the living room, where Mokuba sat on the couch. He grabbed her by the arm, turning her around roughly.

"Let go!" she yanked her arm out of his grasp, "You don't own me, so stop acting like you do!" she yelled. Mokuba looked at them and watched with fear-filled blue eyes. He had never seen this side of Kariana before; he had never thought it even existed.

"Our _contract_ says otherwise! As long as you work for me you do what I tell you!"

"Then maybe I won't work for you anymore!" she snapped, fists clenched. There was silence as they glared at each other and Mokuba had a horrified look on his face.

"You wouldn't quit." Kaiba scoffed, "You need this job, you need _me_."

"I don't need this place, this job and especially not _you_ Seto Kaiba!" she barked back, opening the front door.

"Don't even think about it! You get over here and sit down!" he demanded, pointing to the couch.

"Sit this!" Kariana yelled, flipping him off before slamming the door. Kaiba glared at the door, hands clenched.

"Seto, she didn't mean to-"

"I don't care." Kaiba growled, turning and going down the hall. Mokuba watched sadly as his older brother walked away and winced when he slammed the door to his office.

_The Next Day…_

Kariana sat on the couch watching Mokuba as he read a book. It was a very quiet day for the two. The previous night had caused a gap between all three of them. Mokuba finally looked up at her.

"I don't want you to go, Kari." He told her, "And Seto doesn't either. He won't say it but I know he wants you to stay."

"Mokuba…" she furrowed her eyebrows but managed a small smile. "You know I care about you, but I'm just not sure I can work for your brother anymore. He just doesn't understand." She said, ruffling his already messy hair.

"But if you two just talked it out I'm sure it could work!" he tried to convince her. She went to speak but the front door opened and Kaiba walked in, looking furious with a yellow piece of paper in his right hand.

"What is this?!" he snarled, holding up the piece of paper. Kariana looked away, as if ashamed. Mokuba looked at Kaiba then at Kariana.

"Kari?" Mokuba put his hand on her shoulder, looking for an answer to what was going on.

"So this is you answer? Quitting? You think this is going to help?" Kaiba's voice wasn't raised but the intensity in it made up for it, "This is what you want?" he stared hard at her back but she refused to look at him. "Fine!" he threw the paper on the ground and walked away to his office.

Mokuba waited till his brother had closed his door before getting off the couch. He was going to go get the piece of paper but Kariana grabbed his arm. He looked at her, confused.

"Please don't Mokuba." She said, "It's just a piece of paper." She let go of his arm and he stayed put.

"What does it say, Kari?" she didn't respond, "Kari?" he pleaded.

"It's my two weeks notice." She admitted. "But I'm only staying one more week, so I guess you could say it's my one week notice." Mokuba stared at the ground, eyebrows furrowed and lip tucked in.

"But…you can't…" he whispered. She looked at the boy before reaching out and taking him into her arms.

"I'm so sorry Mokuba. Really I am." She said into his hair as he wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

The next week was awkward and quiet. Mokuba tried to keep his time with Kariana normal but whenever his brother came home it was as if the life was sucked right out of them. When it was just them it was like how it had been. They talked, watched movies and read. The only thing different was Kaiba wouldn't allow them to leave the house. Which Mokuba wasn't all too sad about; he wanted to go to the park but now he and Kariana spent more time talking than anything. He liked that. But today was the last day and he was dreading it. But there was no way he was going to show it. Today was going to be the best day they'd ever have…

"Alright Mokuba, we have a very important mission today. Are you ready?" Kariana asked and Mokuba nodded his head with a very 'serious' face. They were kneeling on the couch facing in the direction of the kitchen _heavily equipped_ with spatulas and whisks. "The enemy is fully prepared for our attack but we must be strong!" Kariana whispered and Mokuba nodded again. "Wait! There he is…" Two beady black eyes peeked out from under the cabinet, its whiskers twitching widely. Slowly the mouse came out, sniffing around.

"He's gonna go for it." Mokuba insisted, as they both peered over the couch just enough to see.

"Perhaps. Let's watch." Kariana stated enthusiastically and so they did. Slowly, the tiny mouse crept forward toward a piece of cheese that was somewhat cleverly placed as a trap. Its whiskers twitched widely as it sniffed the cheese before sitting up on its hind legs. What happened next was sudden and quick.

When the mouse picked up the cheese, it suddenly found itself trapped under some sort of cage that left it without sight. Completely forgetting about the cheese, the mouse scurried around and forced against the black thing that encased it, successfully moving it forward. It could hear the sound the people made when they told each other things but could not understand them. It kept pushing against the black cage and running until it hit something that didn't allow it to go any further. At this point, the mouse was terrified and horribly confused. It then felt something being shoved up underneath it, further terrifying the poor thing.

"Be careful Kari!" Mokuba exclaimed as Kariana carried the bowl and cardboard that contained the mouse over to the counter.

"Don't worry, Mokuba. I'm being as gentle as I can." She reassured him as she set the mouse down onto the counter top. They were quiet for a few seconds, just staring at the bowl, Kariana's hand on top to keep it from moving.

"So what are we gonna do with it?" Mokuba asked.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask." Kariana smiled, picking the cordless phone up from its cradle and setting it on top of the bowl. "Just gimme a second." She said, walking to the closet across from the front door. Seconds later, Kariana came back around from the corner with a decent sized cage. It was painted white with a black tray on the bottom and had a blue spinning wheel, water dispenser and food bowl. "Ta da!" she exclaimed as she set it on the counter by the bowl containing the mouse. "See? Now he can stay."

Mokuba's face beamed happily, but when a sudden realization hit him, the light faded from his eyes. "Seto won't want to keep it."

Kariana gazed at Mokuba sympathetically. She let out a small sigh, putting a smile on her face. "That's just fine, Mokuba. As long as you know YOU want it. And make darn sure that your brother knows it too." She said as she ruffled his thick black hair. When Mokuba looked up at her and saw her bright smile he couldn't help but smile too.

* * *

It was late when Kaiba came back, as it almost always was when he would return from work. He entered the apartment with his briefcase in one hand and his jacket over the same arm. He closed the door behind him, taking note of the lone form asleep on the couch. He did not feel anger towards her as he looked down at her sleeping face. He didn't feel anything really.

She was lying on her side, her right arm under her head and her left resting on her waist, her fingertips forming to the slight curve of her abdomen as she breathed in and out. Her long, auburn hair draped mostly over the side of the couch but a few locks of hair lay over shoulder and neck. Tonight was her last night and as far as Kaiba knew, he would never see her again. As he turned away from her and walked down the hall, an odd feeling crept up inside him. He felt something like that of remorse, but no thought followed it. It had become natural, almost instinctive, for Kaiba to dismiss his feelings so easily without so much as a thought. This was one of his greatest flaws.

When the door to Kaiba's office closed, Kariana shifted on the couch. Her eyebrows drew together as her eyes fluttered open. Rolling onto her stomach, she lifted her torso off the couch. She gave a slight yawn, sitting upright and running her hand through her hair. Without even thinking about it, she stood up and walked down the hall to Kaiba's office. _'What am I doing?'_ she thought to herself as she stood in front of the door. She knew he was in there, she had heard him come in. She also knew what she had planned on doing once he did return. She contemplated a while longer before knocking. But as she stood there, waiting for a reply, there was only silence. Confusion was written on her face. She knocked again, waited and still got nothing in return. Her heart sunk deep into her chest, rejection tightening her throat and making it hard for her to speak. "Mr. Kaiba?" she managed, aware it was still unlikely that he would reply, "Kaiba, I… I know you're in there." She stated, "I understand that you don't want to see me, but I'd like it if you could just listen for a minute…"

Inside the room, Kaiba sat in his chair, his back to the door. His desk was bare and his briefcase was sitting on the floor next to it. He hadn't taken anything out yet, and it seemed as if he would make no effort to do what work he had left over. Though his responses to Kariana were nothing, he could hear her, not perfectly, but he understood what she was trying to say through the door.

"I know I screwed up. I screwed up really bad." Kariana rested her forehead against the door, the corners of her mouth turning down in a frown. "I don't have any excuses either. I just wanna say… I'm sorry…" there was a long drawn out pause before Kariana pulled away from the door with a sad smile. "Good bye."

Kaiba was facing his desk now, resting his forehead in his left hand. He was exhausted both mentally and psychically. Tomorrow was going to be a very long and tiring day. "Ushimato." He sighed, leaning back into his chair and closing his eyes.

.::Chapter End::.


	21. Getting By

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters from the show; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Chapter 21: Getting By

It was hell, a nightmare come true. There was only one thing that could have made the past two months worse for Seto Kaiba; more unwanted publicity. Had one of Japan's biggest drug lords not been at the club that night over two months ago, all eyes would have been on Kaiba. Fortunately, his name was only slandered for a little more than two weeks. But that was all it took for the deal he had just sealed to be put back on the table. The eldest businessman was uncertain of Kaiba's capability to handle the arrangements necessary when "he couldn't even control his employee and younger brother". Although furious as Kaiba was, he had no other option but to try and convince the old man otherwise all over again.

Kaiba let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his desk chair, resting his head back and shutting his eyes. Although Mokuba had convinced Kaiba to keep the apartment so he could still go to public school, they both found themselves constantly at Kaiba Corp. Kaiba had a lot of work to catch up with, seeing how it seemed to piling endlessly. Every day Mokuba would be dropped off at the school, picked up right after it ended and then taken directly to Kaiba Corp. Mokuba's safety was one of the few things that was distracting Kaiba and keeping him from catching up on his work. The other things had to do with the deal he was desperately trying to save and keeping the reporters off his back. But there was something bothering him much more. It left him feeling agitated and easily distracted, ruining all his attempts at concentrating on work.

Without knocking, Mokuba opened the door to his older brother's office. "I'm back from school, Seto."

Kaiba sat forward, acknowledging his younger brother with a nod. "Everything went well?" he asked.

Mokuba nodded, "Yeah," the boy paused in the doorway, pondering for a moment and taking a step inside. "Hey, Seto… I was wondering if maybe we could eat dinner at the apartment tonight."

Kaiba stared across the room at Mokuba's eyes. He hated having to tell him no, but during these times he was left with no other option. "Not tonight, Mokuba. Maybe Friday night instead. Alright?"

"Yes Seto." Mokuba gave a slight nod and turned to leave. However, something on his backpack flashed in the light overhead, catching Kaiba's eye.

"Mokuba, what is that on your backpack?" he asked. Turning back around, Mokuba slid his backpack off his right shoulder and took the shinning object into his right hand.

A sad smile appeared on Mokuba's face. "It's the keychain Kari gave me for my birthday. It's a piece of glass with a picture of you in it, Seto." Kaiba made no visible reaction to Mokuba's reply.

"Very well. You can go start on you homework then." Kaiba said as he started to thumb through the hundreds of papers on his desk.

"Yes Seto." Mokuba sighed, leaving the office. For a few weeks, Mokuba had tried to convince Kaiba to find Kari but after many hopeless tries, the young teen had given in to his brother's stubbornness.

Kaiba tapped his right index finger on his desk, a disgruntled look on his face. He started to reach for the phone of his desk but pulled back his hand. _'No,'_ he thought, going to his laptop instead, _'I don't need help for something like this.'

* * *

_

It was ten past eleven when Kaiba entered the bar. The hostess greeted him with a smile, wearing a red, black and white plaid mini skirt and matching tie, a black tank top that showed her midriff and black heeled shoes with white knee high stockings. This borderline risqué outfit was the uniform all the waitresses and hostesses were supposed to wear. Kaiba said some things to the hostess and she nodded, leading him to a table.

"Hey," one of the waitresses with her black hair pulled up into a side ponytail elbowed the waitress behind her, "I think that's Seto Kaiba."

"I'm not falling for that _again_, Hanako." The girl replied without turning around. She had long auburn hair, pulled back into pigtails.

"Just because you're bitter doesn't mean you can break the rules." Hanako replied, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm _Chrissy_ and you're _Caroline_. We're only allowed to go by those names here, you know that!" she paused crossing her arms and staring at the table where Kaiba was sat at. "And I'm not joking this time. He's here, Kari. He's sitting at 12."

"What was that you just said about calling each other by our," Kariana paused as she turned around and saw Kaiba, "Work… names…"

"See, see?" Hanako poked her elbow into Kariana's side. "Told ya I wasn't kiddin'." She grinned as the hostess came up to them.

"Caroline, you were requested at 12. Bourbon on the rocks." The hostess said and went back to the front podium.

"I think I just died." Kariana said flatly, a slight pink rising in her cheeks.

"And gone to heaven?" Hanako added.

"No. Just died."

Hanako smiled broadly, "Well too late now!" she said, pushing Kariana forward toward the bar.

Kaiba looked up at Kariana as his drink was set down in front of him. He studied her for a moment; her cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink and she held a tray behind her back.

"Is there anything else I can get you sir?" she asked, avoiding Kaiba's cold blue eyes.

"No." he replied, picking up his glass and sipping. Kariana hesitated for a moment before turning around, intending to go back to another customer. But at the sight of Hanako glaring her down, she turned back around.

She took a breath before speaking. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" Kaiba replied, taking another sip.

Kariana sighed, "Listen… I'm doing fine here. I make good tips." She paused, glancing back at Hanako, who urged her on with a wave of her hand. "Don't come back here… please."

Kaiba set down his glass and looked up at her. Her green eyes no longer held the same vibrancy they once did and the skin under her left eye was a purplish color. "You're no longer living at that apartment complex." He stated more than asked.

Kariana looked at him quizzically, "No… I'm not. I'm staying with my parents." It was like he had ignored everything she had just said.

"Hn, that explains your eye then." He said, picking up his bourbon again. Kariana flinched at the comment. She clenched the tray behind her back, her jaw tightening and her lower lip turning down into a frown.

From the bar, Hanako's face was filled with worry, "Oh no baby girl," she said to herself, "Abort, mission abort." She urged, even though Kariana could not hear her.

Kariana strained a fake smile, the rim of her eyes lining with tiny tears. "Enjoy your drink sir." She turned and walked away, heading back to Hanako. Hanako sighed with relief as Kariana came back without causing a scene.

"How you doin' hon?" she asked, touching Kariana on the arm.

"Just fine." Kariana replied, smiling sadly at Hanako.

Hanako looked at her friend with sympathy. "You want me to take it from here?"

Kariana shook her head. "That's alright. I'll be fine, really I will. I'm gonna go take care of tables 7 and 9 now." Hanako nodded as Kariana walked off.

* * *

It was close to midnight now and Kaiba still sat at the table, finishing his fourth bourbon. Kaiba watched Kariana as she waved off another overly flirtatious customer. He wasn't sure if it was the bourbon that caused the stir of anger and agitation within himself but that was what he was going to blame it on. He set down the empty glass, the ice cubes clinking as it hit the table. He took out his wallet as he stood up and left cash on the table.

"Hey, I think yer boyfriend is leavin' now." One of Kariana's drunken customers said, pointing in Kaiba's direction.

"He's not my boyfriend." Kariana corrected the man politely before heading over to the table Kaiba had been at. She picked up the cash with a look of surprise. But that surprise soon turned into fury as she saw Kaiba exiting the bar from the corner of her eye. With more energy than she had shown in the past two months, Kariana stormed after Kaiba. Hanako reached out to stop Kariana as she passed.

"Not now, Hanako." Kariana said, pulling away from Hanako's grasp, a bite to her tone. "Kaiba!" Kariana yelled out as she exited the bar, the cold, crisp October air hitting her skin and instantly giving her goose bumps. Kaiba stopped at the front of the sidewalk and turned in Kariana's direction. He stood with his hands in his pants pockets and a nonchalant expression across his face. He didn't have to wait long for her to speak her mind.

"You inconsiderate, rude and despicable jerk!" she shouted as she marched up to him and threw the bills at his chest, "I don't want your money!" Kaiba didn't react as she bowed up and the bills fell to the ground. There was over 45,000 yen just sitting on the sidewalk between them. "How can you come here like you did and just leave?! What was the point of this? I don't want your help, I don't want your money, I DON'T WANT YOU!" her face was burning red from anger the cold of the night. And even as a few tears fell down her cheeks, proving to him that her words were nothing but the façade she put on everyday, he didn't react. He just stared at her, he stared with those cold blue eyes that made her feel so lost when she looked into them. "Please," she was begging now, shaking her head from side to side, "Please just go."

Kaiba reached out and took her right pigtail into his hand. Kariana looked up, her tear filled green eyes wide with surprise. He took the scrunchy between his fingers and pulled it out of her hair, causing it to flow out over her shoulder. "You don't belong here."

Kariana's heart beat faster as she looked up at him speechless. Without saying anything else and without picking up the money on the ground, Kaiba turned and walked away. Kariana watched in a frozen state, unable to move or say anything. If she didn't belong there, then where was he suggesting she belonged?

* * *

Kaiba left the light off as he entered the apartment. Seeing Mokuba passed out on the couch, he walked over to him. With careful and great ease, he lifted his younger brother up into his arms and took him to his bedroom. It was twelve thirty now. Kaiba pulled the blanket up over Mokuba, brushing some of his bangs away from his forehead. _'He's getting bigger,'_ Kaiba thought as he looked down at his little brother. Mokuba mumbled something, turning over to lie on his side. A small smile appeared on Kaiba's face. "Good night Mokuba."

* * *

It was midday Friday and school was almost out for Mokuba. While the teenaged boy sat anxiously in his seat for the bell to ring and the weekend to begin, his older brother was alone in his office. Kaiba sat in his chair, facing the window with his feet propped up on the corner of his desk. He stared aimlessly out the window, watching the autumn leaves fall from the trees that lined up and down near the sidewalk. In his hand was Kariana's black scrunchy he had taken from her just two days ago. Images of that night, of her waiting other tables with that fake smile, played in his mind as he flexed the scrunchy with his fingers.

"_You inconsiderate, rude and despicable jerk!"_

"_I DON'T WANT YOU!"_

"_Please… Please just go."_

Kaiba dropped his feet from his desk and turned to face forward. He set the scrunchie down and reached over to his phone and pressed a button. "What can I do for you, Mr. Kaiba?" asked the voice of his secretary.

"What are my plans for tomorrow night?" Kaiba asked.

There was a pause as she looked. "You have a meeting at ten am and one at nine pm. You also have an online appointment with an international business partner scheduled at midnight. Anything else sir?"

"That's all." Kaiba replied before the speaker turned off. He glanced at the scrunchie on his desk before taking it into his hand again, this time just looking at it.

* * *

"Kariana!" Kariana snapped out of her daze, pulling back away from wiping down a table.

"Yes sir?" she replied, turning to the manager.

"Head home." He motioned toward the door with the nod of his head, drying glasses with a cloth behind the bar.

"Oh, but I still have-"

"I got it, Kari." Hanako said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" Kariana looked from Hanako to her boss.

"You're exhausted. We can see it in your eyes. Go home and get some rest." It wasn't a suggestion.

"It's alright Kari." Hanako said reassuringly, "I'll finish up here."

"Thanks Hanako." Kariana said with a smile. "I'll see you guys on Monday." As she walked past the front podium, she picked up the long brown coat that was lying on top. She slipped it on and tied it around her waist as she exited the bar.

Just fifteen minutes later Kaiba pulled up to the bar in his car. As he got out of the car, the manager and Hanako exited. "Sorry, but we're closed." The manager said as he locked the door.

Recognizing who he was, Hanako spoke up. "She's not here. She left about fifteen minutes ago." She paused as Kaiba was about to get back into his car. "Uhm, she usually walks down 5th street and then takes a left on Checker. You should be able to find her." The closing of Kaiba's door had sounded a few seconds after Hanako spoke to him. Hanako smiled as Kaiba pulled out and headed down 5th street.

"What was that about?" the manager asked.

Hanako shrugged. "Just a friend of Kari's."

* * *

He could see her now, walking down the street by herself about three quarters of a mile away. Kaiba glanced at the clock on his radio system. It was well past three in the morning. "I can't believe she'd work somewhere like that." He scoffed to himself as he shifted gears, "Having to walk so far in the middle of the night," he shook his head in distaste.

Kariana pulled at her coat, trying to keep the cold wind from making her even more miserable. She had gotten used to walking in the dark, but the cold was something she couldn't quite adjust to. Unfortunately, Kariana seemed to have become too accustomed to walking alone at night and what happened next would later be just a faint memory.

Kaiba cursed under his breath when he took the left on Checker, no longer able to see Kariana. He pulled up to the side and parked, getting out of his car. At first he was uncertain of what to do as he stood in the middle of the sidewalk, but when he heard the faint muffling of talking, he turned around. It was in a small alley way where he found her along with another person. The dark garmented person stood over Kariana's limp body lying on the ground, searching through her pockets. At the sound of Kaiba's footsteps, the guy looked up and cursed aloud. He bolted off down the alley but was no competition for the tall brunette. Within seconds, Kaiba had caught the guy by his shirt collar, whirled him around and connected his fist to the guy's nose. There was a loud crack sound from the bones breaking. Kaiba drove his knee into the attacker's stomach before letting him drop to the ground. Kaiba picked up the tips and other things that were stolen from Kariana before heading over to her body.

He crouched down beside her. "Ushimato," he said quietly, his breath visible through the cold night air. He checked her pulse, found it and proceeded to check her body for further injuries. He moved aside the hair lying across her face and found a rather large whelp and cut on her temple. "You need me more than you know."

.::Chapter End::.


	22. Fatherly Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters from the show; they are not my creation and I take no credit for the design or anything pertaining to them. They are not mine, I said it, so don't report me. However, Kariana and any other added characters are mine and if you steal them I will send my Galactic Sea Monkey WarriorsTM after you!

Chapter 22: Fatherly Love

It was the warm smell of eggs and toast that woke Kaiba from his hazy slumber. He raised his head from his desk and reached for his glasses while taking the loose black tie around his neck in his other hand. Shifting his tie down further, Kaiba perched his glasses on the bridge of his nose and stood up. He lifted the tie over his head and set it on the desk as he walked around it and towards the door. He walked out of the room, buttoning up the few buttons he had undone last night when he was suddenly embraced around his chest.

"Thank you Seto!" Mokuba exclaimed to his older brother. After regaining his composure, Kaiba simply placed his hand on top of his little brother's messy black hair. When did he get so tall? "I'm gonna go get ready!" the preteen added before running off to his room.

Kariana shifted her gaze back to the food in front of her as Kaiba entered the living room. She had made breakfast for Mokuba with plenty left over. "I thought he'd like something to eat." Kariana stated as Kaiba stood directly across from her, the counter being the only thing separating them. He stood silently with his hands in his pockets. "N-not that I think he hasn't been eating well or anything I just thought that… well I…" she flinched as Kaiba reached out, her lips drawing down towards her chin. To her surprise, Kaiba picked up a piece of toast from the plate on the counter.

"There's no need to be flustered, Miss Ushimato." Kaiba stated, leaning on the counter and looking at the toast as if observing it, "You're only doing your job after all."

The tension in Kariana's chest loosened with his words. "So… you mean I can have--"

"I have plenty of work I need to get done." Kaiba interrupted, standing up straight, "I'll be in my office if you need me." He added as he turned away and walked down the hall with the toast, leaving a baffled but elated Kariana in the kitchen.

* * *

Mokuba fidgeted on the couch as he waited for Kariana to return while a paused movie was frozen on the television screen. Inside the laundry room, Kariana leaned against the dryer holding the phone up to her ear. A mixture of fear and anxiety stirred in her heart as three rings had passed. Then, almost hastily, the other end was picked up. Kariana leaned forward when the sound of an older woman answered.

"_Hello? Kari dear, is that you?"_ it was Kariana's mother, sounding tired and exasperated.

"Yes, mom. It's me." Kariana smiled to herself. She imagined her mother had said that to every call she had gotten within the past twelve or so hours.

"_Oh thank goodness!" _her mother sighed in relief. _"Sweetheart, where have you been? I was worried sick that something might have happened when you didn't come home last night."_

"I'm sorry, mom. I'm alright now. I'm safe so you don't need to worry. Someone tried to mug me last night but--"

"_What?! Oh my, Kari, are you okay? Where are you? Are you hurt? Are--"_

"Mom, mom, calm down." Kariana chuckled, "I'm fine, I just have a few scratches is all." She hesitated before she spoke again, "I'm at Mr. Kaiba's. He found me last night when I was being mugged and brought me here."

"_Oh." _She sounded surprised, _"OH."_ She said again but with more emphasis. _"So um, does that mean--"_

"Yes mom. He's giving me my job back."

"_No, that's… not what I meant."_ Kariana furrowed her eyebrows at this. _"I meant, are you and he--"_

"No!" Kariana stopped her mother before she could finish, a blush flooding her cheeks. "T-there's nothing going on with Mr. Kaiba and I." she stuttered, turning to face the washer and dryer. "He's my boss mother, nothing like that could happen."

"_I'm sorry to hear that, dear."_ Kariana's mom replied, sounding crestfallen.

"Mom," Kariana sighed, "Listen, I called because I need to know when I can come by and pick up my stuff. All I have is my uniform." She stated, looking down with disdain at the plaid outfit she still wore.

"_Tomorrow's your father's day off, so Tuesday would be better." She paused, "What about that Joey boy? How are things with him?"

* * *

_

Kaiba sighed, sitting back in his chair and starring up at the air vent. He cocked a brow, hearing the entirety of Kariana's conversation through the vents. Without hesitating, he pushed back in his chair and stood up.

* * *

"Mother! Seriously," Kariana grunted, leaning on the dryer with her elbows. "Why are you so adamant about me having a boyfriend?"

"_Sweetheart, I'm only looking out for you. You do want to have a family, don't you?"_

"I'm only nineteen, mother." Kariana retorted, a tint of pink rising in her cheeks. "I'm not going to be a baby machine just so you can have grandkids." The color in her face drained and her heart stopped when she felt the front of someone else's shirt lay lightly against her back and two hands placed on the dryer on either side of her.

"Your voice carries through the vents, Miss Ushimato." Kaiba stated, standing behind her with their bodies almost touching.

"_Kari? Sweetheart, is everything alright? Is someone else there?"_

Kaiba took the phone out of Kariana's frozen hand and put it up to his ear, "Miss Ushimato is currently unavailable. She'll have to call back at a later time."

"_Oh… Alright…"_

There was a quiet beep when Kaiba pushed the button that hung up the phone. "Next time you need to make a call Miss Ushimato, choose a place a little less conspicuous; preferably without vents." He stated as he set the phone down in front of her and pulled away, creating a much larger gap between them.

"O-okay." Kariana managed to stutter before Kaiba left the laundry room, leaving her to wade in her own embarrassment. Her heartbeat picked back up as she blushed a deep crimson, her eyes still widened. _'I didn't even hear him come in!'_ she thought, _'He… he heard everything… and he was so close.'_ She tucked in her lower lip as the image of his arms and hands next to hers and his chest merely centimeters away from her came back into her mind. Outside the door, Kaiba stood silently, his hands draped down by his sides. He waited a little while before walking back to his office while a curious Mokuba leaned over the arm of the couch and tried to peer down the hall.

* * *

"You wanna borrow something of mine?" Mokuba asked Kariana after she had told him about her wardrobe dilemma.

"No thank you, Mokuba." Kariana replied awkwardly, "I'm not sure if they'd fit."

"Well, what about something of Seto's?" Mokuba asked as he picked a quarter of a sandwich off the platter Kariana had made and set on the living room table earlier.

"Most definitely not." Kariana flustered, taken back a bit by the suggestion.

"Yeah, I guess his clothes would be too big, huh?" Mokuba added, putting the entire quarter of a sandwich into his mouth. Kariana gave him an imploring look.

"You are pretending to be naïve, right?" she asked. A look of realization came over Mokuba's face as he swallowed the sandwich and dismissed her comment.

"I know! I'll go talk to Seto! He'll know what to do." Mokuba exclaimed, jumping up off the couch.

"Wait! Mokuba, don't go--" Kariana reached out to stop him but it was too late. She let out a whimper, falling back against the armrest as she heard to door to Kaiba's office being opened.

* * *

"I told you Seto would know what to do." Mokuba beamed as they headed back up to the apartment on the elevator.

"Having clothes bought for me wasn't exactly how I wanted to solve this." Kariana sighed, no longer wearing the plaid uniform but a pair of denim jeans and a snug white t-shirt.

"What's wrong with that, Kari?" Mokuba asked as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

"Well, nothing I guess." She lied, stepping out of the elevator with Mokuba.

"You sure?" Mokuba asked as they walked down the hall.

"Yeah. I don't know what I was thinking. It's fine, really it is." Kariana smiled convincingly, "So how about we find a movie to watch on TV before we call it a night? Would that be fun?"

"Yeah!" Mokuba exclaimed as they approached the door and Kariana pulled out the card key, "That sounds great, Kari!"

"It sure does."

* * *

That night had gone surprisingly well, ending with Kariana and Mokuba passed out, curled up on either side of the couch. They had woken up late the next morning and barely managed to get Mokuba to school on time. The day went by seemingly fast and normal; it was as if life had carried on like she had never left.

"I'll be going to my parent's to get my things tomorrow." Kariana informed Kaiba as she cooked in the kitchen while he sat on the couch reading over countless material that he had spread out. Books and papers covered the entire table; why he was doing his work out here was beyond her. "I was thinking of going after I see Mokuba off to school. It shouldn't take me long. Is there anything you'd like me to pick up while I'm out?"

"No." Kaiba replied.

"Alright." Kariana closed the oven, setting the timer before starting to clean up a bit.

"The first drawer." Kaiba said randomly. Kariana looked over at him curiously. Feeling her eyes on him, he clarified, "Check the first draw." Kariana reached over and pulled out the first drawer for the small hand towels. After shifting through a few rags she found a small rectangular box.

"What is this for?" she asked. She opened the end slot, dumping the contents into her palm and setting the box on the counter. A small gasp escaped her throat as she examined the cell phone in her hands. "You're giving it back?" she asked, looking over at the CEO. When she had quit two months ago, she returned everything to him, including the phone.

"You are working for me." Kaiba stated as if it were to be expected, a smirk playing on his lips. Kariana smiled, holding it to her chest.

"Thank you so very much Mr. Kaiba."

* * *

It didn't take long for Kariana to see Mokuba off to school the next day before she headed to her parent's. It wasn't too far away so she had decided to walk. She was also aware that she would either have to call a taxi or call for the driver.

Kariana wiped the cold sweat from her brow as she stood on her parent's front porch. A smile spread across her face as she raised her hand and rapped her knuckles against the beige hued door. There was a soft click on the other side as the door knob was turned and the door opened. "Hello mo--" her green eyes widened at the sight of the gruff, large man standing before her, "ther…" she swallowed hard at the cold, sharp gaze of her father's own green eyes staring down at her. She gazed over his shoulder into the house and spotted a dark haired man leaning against the wall. "Hiten?" she said in astonishment, recognizing the businessman from the hospital from months ago. She looked back at her father, feeling her heart sink somewhere deep in her chest. "What's going on?"

* * *

The door to Kaiba's office at Kaiba Corp busted open as a frantic Mokuba entered the room. Kaiba looked up, perplexed at the sudden outburst. "Mokuba, what is the meaning of this?"

"Seto, Kari's missing. She didn't pick me up from school and she won't answer her phone." Mokuba said in rush, walking around his brother's desk to stand beside him. "I know she was going to her parent's but she should be back by now. I'm worried Seto, what if something terrible has happened?"

Kaiba had a mixed reaction; he wasn't sure if he should be shocked or confused. He pushed back in his chair and stood up, grabbing his coat. "Let's go." Was all he said as he left his office with Mokuba in tow.

...A FEW HOURS AGO...

There was a loud thump as her body was thrown to the ground and one of Hiten's bodyguards began tying her hands together, his foot digging into her back to keep her down.

"Paid in full, as agreed." Hiten said as he passed a briefcase to Kariana's father.

"It better be." The middle-aged man snorted as he gripped his large hands around the handle. His jaw was square and lined with a brownish-red beard and mustache that matched his eyebrows. His built was strong and thick, as construction workers tend to be. Kariana turned her face toward the two men, her right cheek tingling from carpet burn.

"Father!" she exclaimed, catching their attention, "Where's mom." She asked in a demanding tone. Her father looked down stoically at her before turning to the bodyguard.

"I hope you have a gag handy. She tends to open her mouth at the wrong times." He scoffed while Hiten was on his cell phone telling the driver to come back around.

"Father!" Kariana barked before a black cloth was put in her mouth and tied around her head. She gagged on the cloth and fought against the strength of the bodyguard. She managed a hard kick to his shin and rose to her knees. However, the back of her father's hand swooped down and connected with her face. The blow was so hard it knocked her back down, her head smacking the ground.

"You belong to him now." Her father stated but she could hardly understand him with the loud ringing in her ears. "So shut up, behave and get outta my face."

'…_Dangit… I need help…'_ she thought, her cheek throbbing in pain and her left eye slightly puffy.

... ...

Mokuba waited in the limo as Kaiba walked up to the door and knocked. At first there was no reply, but after a little while he could hear rustling from inside. He waited a while longer before the door was opened by a tired and bruised older woman with long black hair and brown eyes.

"You're him, aren't you…" she asked with tears in her eyes. She didn't wait for his reply, "This is for you." She held out a large yellow envelope, "I'm not sure what this is, but they told me to give it you. They said you'd come." She tried her best to smile as Kaiba took the envelope from her shaky hands. "I… I don't know where she is. I'm her mother but I couldn't do anything… I couldn't-" Kariana's mother broke down into sobs and Kaiba did something that was so unlike him. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll bring her back." He said coolly, a reassuring gaze in his eyes. Without any other word said, he walked back to the limo as she wiped away her tears.

"What is that, Seto?" Mokuba asked, sitting across from his older brother as he opened the yellow envelope. Kaiba pulled out a stack of prints with a sticky note on top of the pile.

_This is only the beginning :)  
_

_ -Hiten_

Kaiba looked at the prints, the color draining from his face. _'When… where did he get these?'_ he thought, tightening his grasp on them and causing them to crinkle in his grasp.

* * *

"I never intended to use the photographs against him." Hiten held a glass of red wine, standing in an extravagantly huge dining room, facing a rather large winter landscape painting. "That is, not until you came into the picture." He added, turning to face Kariana. She sat at the far end of the dining table, wearing a silky white gown and her hands strapped to the chair. "You see," he set down his glass and walked toward her as he talked, "With this kind of blackmail, he won't be sticking his neck out for you. Go ahead, look." He urged her as he spread the prints out on the table in front of her, but she refused to look down. "I said _look._" He grabbed the back of her head and forced it down. She tried to close her eyes, to deny the proof in front of her, but she couldn't. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the raunchy photos. This was more than she ever wanted to know. "That's a good girl." Hiten grinned, cupping her face in his gloved right hand. The black leather was cold against her cheek and when he ran his thumb over her mouth it tugged at her lower lip. She twisted her wrists around, trying to slip out of the leather binds. "There's no forcing it, love." His breath was warm and the smell of sweet wine wafted over her face as he spoke and rested his forehead against hers, "Give in to me." Her chest tightened and she gripped the armrests as he moved his lips to the side of her mouth and brushed…

_I'll eat you up, your love, your love _

Hiten pulled away with a sigh, reaching into his breast pocket for his cell phone.

_I'll eat you up, so yum yum _

"This better be good." He snarled in agitation but the response on the other end brought a smirk to his face, "I'm very sorry Mr. Kaiba, but unfortunately I don't have the time to discuss business right now. I have very _important plans_ for this evening." He ran his hand through his combed black hair as Kariana's eyes lit up at the sound of Kaiba's name.

On the other end, Kaiba was in his home office. He had done every bit of searching he could to find Hiten's location but only managed to find his number. He turned in his chair to face the window and replied with a furious snap, "I don't have the time for your crap--"

"_Kaiba!" _Kariana shouted from across the line. _"I'm at Brook--" _there was a loud smack followed by Kariana's silence. For that brief second when she called his name, a deep heaviness lifted off Kaiba's chest.

"I'm terribly sorry for that," Hiten apologized. Kariana winced with her chin tilted down to her chest, her face stinging from Hiten's slap. "I'm sure the next time we speak there will be no interruptions. Good bye Mr. Kaiba."

When Hiten hung up, Kaiba's fury came back three fold. He set his phone down on his desk, staring at the dark colored wood. The hate and fire in his eyes seemed enough to burn holes straight through the desk. He had to think of something, and quick. Thoughts ran through his mind as he recalled what brief words Hiten had said.

"_I have very important plans for this evening."_

Kaiba growled, trying to control an outburst of rage. "Filthy bastard."

"…_there will be no interruptions."_

"If he does _anything_…" he clenched his fists together, resisting the urge to punch the nearest object and picked up the yellow envelope instead. "He's _dead_."

.::End Chapter::.

Stephan: When I first went over this I thought that Kariana's kidnapping happened too suddenly. But then I came to a conclusion; that's how it is. When someone is kidnapped it happens out of nowhere. There are no (or rarely) signs that tell you when you might be kidnapped. One second your sibling, friend or child is there and the next they're not. It's a horrible tragedy that happens every day. Kidnapping and child trafficking happen. This wasn't meant to be a message, but I guess it kinda turned out that way.

Disclaimer2: The lyrics on Hiten's cell phone belong to BoA's song "Eat You Up"; they are not mine and I claim no rights to them. However, it is a great song- look it up if you got the time!


End file.
